Singing, dancing, roller-skating—Usher is the consummate performer. On Sunday, following months of hype, he took the stage at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for the Super Bowl 2024 halftime show, cramming three decades of his hits into a 13-minute performance.
Performing in a series rhinestone-covered outfits, Usher took the field to “My Way” and performed alongside Alicia Keys for “My Boo.” The R&B maestro also brought out a full marching band, who spelled out “Usher” on the grass. Jermaine Dupri also came out to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Confessions as Usher launched into the album’s title track. He also brought out H.E.R. for a quick, and epic, guitar solo.
Usher’s performance at Super Bowl LVIII came after his 100-show Las Vegas residency and the release of his first album in eight years, Coming Home, which the singer released on Friday.
During the set, situated in the middle of the face-off between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, Usher moved through a series of his most popular hits, from the 2001 R&B mainstay “U Got It Bad” to the quintessential club song “Yeah!” The latter song has had something of a renaissance lately alongside the two-decade anniversary of Confessions.
Before taking the stage, Apple Music, which has sponsored the show since last year’s Super Bowl halftime spectacle starring Rihanna, teased Usher’s performance with a short film called “Where’s Usher?”, featuring Ludacris and Lil Jon, furthering speculation that his “Yeah!” collaborators would be joining him on the Super Bowl stage, which they did.
Following the show, Apple Music offered the performance in spatial audio, Apple’s Dolby Atmos–powered “immersive” sound feature. (Short version: You’ll hear it similar to the way you would at the stadium.) Something it also did with Rihanna’s performance. Watch it here.
Watch Usher’s performance on YouTube here.
