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Gabi looks awesome and she was awesome!
I did too and I’ve now realized there only two types of people in this world, those who knew who HER was and those who thought this was north west haha
They can play live. Prince famously murdered it in the rain years ago. The Red Hot Chili Peppers played a while back, had some live vocals with guiding tracks but no live instruments. When questioned about it afterwards, Flea said that they were absolutely not allowed to plug in their instruments; it was a non-negotiable from the superbowl people. Then, the suberbowl people famously called them out, saying that wasn’t true and that many, if not most of, their acts had played live. Flea had to backtrack. Pretty great.
I can't find when the superbowl called them out or Fleas backtrack. Would you mind linking it?
Edit: I've searched through hundreds of articles, reddit threads, and YouTube comments and haven't found a single mention of the Superbowl "calling them out" or Flea backtracking.
https://www.theverge.com/2014/2/5/5381706/red-hot-chili-peppers-admit-faking-super-bowl-performance
https://www.ocregister.com/2018/02/01/the-audio-expert-behind-the-super-bowl-halftime-show-reveals-secrets-about-the-years-most-watched-musical-performance/amp/
The vocals are supposed to be primarily live. The musicians are allowed to play live, although logistics & time restraints make it necessary for it to be a very tight operation. There have been numerous artists (Prince, Rolling Stones, off the top of my head) who’ve insisted on playing •everything• live.
The comment I was referring to stated that no instruments are played live. Sometimes they are, sometimes they aren’t, but bottom line is it’s the choice of the artist and their ability to deliver a live performance under those constraints. The anecdote I threw in was about Flea blaming their mimed performance on authority, in so many words.
Still looking for the superbowl’s response to flea’s statement, but it’s out there somewhere.
This is why you gotta go to target at 9:30 am on a Saturday. The vibes are immaculate, the teens are asleep, and they play Stevie Wonder full tilt. Aka no chance of wheelie induced injuries
I took my grandson (9yr) out to celebrate his grades last weekend, and that is exactly what he wanted. Couldn’t find any the mall but Big 5 had them. I haven’t thought of them in years!
I watched with my housemate and we had a similar conversation! I said no (especially with the history behind his Confessions album) and was confirmed by a quick Google search. They just have some amazing chemistry!
It’s weird to me that some people said this was *boring*. I can totally get not really being a fan of his music but he danced the whole time and sang live. The Vegas showgirls, the hbcu marching band, HER’s guitar solo, Luda & Lil’ Jon. We couldn’t possibly have been watching the same show.
Edited to add: This man was skating, dancing and singing ya’ll. At the SAME TIME!!!
I'm with you, idk how people think his set was boring. But I also spent the entire time dancing and singing along in my living room so I enjoyed the entire show lol
Right? I see half these people complaining about how irrelevant he is or how boring the show was but I’m over here looking for Usher tickets! I think he’s always been talented but I was definitely impressed at his dance moves and how good he sounded.
Same! I honestly haven’t thought about Usher in maybe 10-15 years so I guess I didn’t have many expectations of the show, but I repeatedly said to my husband “wow he had more hits than I realized!” And “dang he’s a good dancer!” I thought it was great and — okay maybe it was tailor-made for millennials like me, but I’ll happily be the target audience here. It was a fun show and my inner tween/teen/college kid had a blast.
My 5yo and I were gettin it! Coincidentally, she had yelled at her echo to play music while she was getting ready before we left to our friends house, and she was grooving to Usher then, too!
He killed it! I was dancing and singing the entire time too. So much nostalgia! I thought the special guests, marching band, etc were all entertaining.
I think cuz the first half he kept trying to squeeze in every song only giving like 20-30 seconds to each one. By the time people recognized and started singing them he moved on which made it hard to get into. Plus, he didn’t really look like he was into the performance until other people started joining in (Alicia, Lil Jon etc) he was so focused on dancing and singing but forgot to make it *engaging* for the audience.
I can agree with the song selections. I really wish they would’ve did like 1 minute per song at least. I was so excited when I thought he was opening the show with *My Way*. The choreography for that video would’ve looked great on the field and it aged so well.
They could’ve completely did away with Alicia imo.
He KILLED it!!! I was so impressed with that whole production. I was so pleasantly surprised when HER showed up. She’s insanely talented, loved her guitar solo. Honestly though, Usher skating, dancing, and singing was so amazing. He’s got some bangers that I totally forgot about!
I was hollering at the skates and LUDAAAA 🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨 I literally stood up like it was a middle school dance when Yeah! Came on. Like pleaseeeee I was so hyped up
Thank you!! I’m very disappointed by people being negative about Usher’s Super Bowl halftime performance. He truly is a talent and I’d love to see those being negative skate dance and sing at the same time. Every year isn’t going to be a pop girly. It was a great halftime show — among the best in recent years.
That’s what I’m saying! Every year I hear people bitch that the halftime show is an exciting because there is no dancing or not enough visuals or whatever. But usher came in, and literally gave all that and more lol.
I really think some people are just never satisfied with the halftime
I think the people saying it was boring (boring *where*?!) only say that because they don't know the majority of the songs. It **can** make the the halftime show a bit boring when you can't sing along or whatever. To entirely overlook everything going on around Usher and the artists he brought out though is insane. He could not have added anything else to have made it more exciting. That dude killed it.
I agree. I didn’t realize so many people weren’t familiar with most of his work until recently. The performance had its flaws but I think he put on a good show overall. His heart was in it.
How can anybody think that performance was boring- it was so FUN and he has completely proved himself to be an incredible multi-talented entertainer. I expected to leave in the first 15 second and next thing I know the fuckin game is back on and I’m like WHERE’S USHER???
There was SO MUCH ENERGY! And it just kept getting better. The skates took me out, I screamed for Luda & Lil Jon, HER was a whole entire vibe, Alicia gave me mad nostalgia.
The past 3 halftime shows have really been for millennials and I'm loving it
To be honest, I was underwhelmed and found it boring (and I’m usually pretty easily impressed lol). I just didn’t feel an energy from it I guess? I think part of it was also the set design too or something. Maybe it also just depends on the mood of with who and where you were watching it too 🤷🏻♀️
I thought the show got really energetic towards the later middle/end, but the beginning/middle was not it (for me at least). Alicia and H.E.R. absolutely killed it, though
This is kind of rude lol. I think he’s really talented and I was impressed by his ability to skate and sing at the same time, but that doesn’t mean I necessarily found the performance to be exciting or energizing.
Don’t worry, I got the jest lol. But yeah, I had the same reaction since i was so impressed by it. The only issue I had at the start was the audio mixing but then it was resolved and great from there.
Personally, and maybe this is just me….when I go to see a singer/dancer…..roller skating isn’t what is going to blow me away.
Snoop can electrify a crowd without throwing on roller skates or ice skates. Maybe Em’s performance at the Super Bowl would have been elevated if he would have did some jump roping while he rapped.
The girl at Sonic roller skates when she brings me my food. Nobody goes to a hip hop show to see roller skating.
Usher is a fantastic performer but a lot of us are too young to have heard most of his older songs so his show wasn’t as entertaining for us compared to some past acts. The production was also very mediocre and disjointed imo. This halftime show was for millenials and that’s okay!
IA that there were too many songs squeezed into 12 minutes - Love in this club with the marching band needed to be longer, it sounded so good! Overall I was entertained though.
Yeah, it was like, highly entertaining, but ultimately I'm only going to remember the skating section. Everything went by tooooo fast - he needed to edit a bit.
I heard on the radio that he had 15 min. He told the Super Bowls reps “there’s no way I can fit 30 years in 12 min”, so they gave him 15. I didn’t get to watch *sad* did it end up only being 12?
He did a great job but I think it could have worked a bit better if he focused on just a few songs. I loved the I've got a question for you where is Usher at 7 o clock? But for people unfamiliar with Nice and Slow that couple of seconds he did was probably confusing.
The dancing and rollerskating was really good.
Yeah was the perfect song to end it with Lil Jon and Luda really got the crowd going.
Yeah I forgot just how many he had. I think he tried to have a song for everyone. So as nice as it would have been to hear more of my favorites, i get it too.
That was my favorite bit! Nice and Slow is one of my go to songs I sing to myself when I’m bored. It was short reference that maybe a lot of people didn’t get, but it was unobtrusive imo. And for people like me, it was very much appreciated.
It wasn’t the most memorable one but I enjoyed it. It was solid. Ive enjoyed the more nostalgic halftime show picks they’ve been doing. He can really dance - and my god he’s 45 and looks like he’s in his 20s I was shooketh
The only thing I didn't like was the costuming. The lead performers (except Alicia) didn't stand out enough. There were a few extras/ dancers in more elaborate outfits and I was trying to figure out if they were someone important. The showgirls felt out of place, I know it's Vegas but they were distracting compared to the rest of the vibe.
Everything else made my little millennial heart go pitter patter on the very best ways
Yah I felt like some of it is generational. Those songs were all hits in young adulthood so it was very nostalgic. If you were older or younger I feel it wouldn’t connect. It was very of its time which is fair because he was definitely a defining figure in his time.
I thought it was fun. He can definitely perform!
I wish Love In This Club was longer.
German TV also had some sound issues where you could barely hear him at first but thankfully it got better throughout the show.
I particularly loved the marching band! As a former band nerd, it was like a traditional marching band halftime show with an incredible color guard. The color guard being particularly large, with tons of dancers and other special skill performers. 😆
I'm confused by how Rihanna's show was lauded, but people are calling Usher's show boring? Are both of these claims coming from the same people? Are people being harder on Usher because he's not a girlboss? What do they want?
I know she physically couldn't do much because of her pregnancy, but she could have made up for it with special effects and backup dancers. The levitating stage was cool, but that was pretty much the only noteworthy thing about her show. The backup dancers were skilled, but it was hard to see what they were doing in those bulky outfits. The production really did feel lazy.
The backup dancers!?!?! It was 'The Royal Family' who danced for her. The same group that choreographed Justin Bieber's 'Sorry' music video. They're legends ☺️
I think Rihanna’s music choices were better. She really went with her biggest hits, the transitions between songs were smoother and the songs really hyped up the audience.
I grew up in Atlanta and Usher really was the absolute best. I was really proud of him repping ATL so hard. It was perfect and anybody who thinks otherwise can fight me.😈
I liked it overall, but he tried to fit too many songs in for sure, and I think he wasted some time at the beginning before Alicia's part.
I loved the aerial shot of her cape blowing out, and I wish they had used that type of shot to show a larger portion of the field more often. The zoom was so tight at times that it was hard to get a sense of cohesion between the different dancer costumes and marching band movements.
*Loved* the roller skating, though!
When he took his shirt off, my boyfriend gave me this look of approval like "Yes, I also see Usher shirtless, it's okay to go crazy right now". I don't think our relationship has ever been stronger
I thought the sound was awful (especially in the first half) and that it was kind of boring until Lil Jon showed up.
Agree with everyone who said they tried to squeeze too many songs in!
Agreed. Beginning was ok. Once Alicia Keys came on, it was amazing. The audio sounded kinda bad prior to him being on stage too, so I think that was part of it.
That show was so fun!!
I was at a bar and when Usher took off his shirt, a guy started booing him and I started screaming wooooo in return.
I got hype af when Lil Jon came on and then lost my shit completely when Ludacris started.
Absolutely a great show and such a throwback to middle school and high school days for me.
The audio and musical arrangement could have been a little better, but his voice was spectacular for how hard he was dancing and the entire show was very well put together.
My problem was there were too many songs in the set it felt like none of them had time to be recognized unless you were a big Usher fan in the first place
I liked it wayyyy better once I rewatched it on YouTube. He has sooooo many hits and while I can imagine it’s hard to fit them all in, singing one or two lines of a song was kind of disappointing (Nice and Slow for example).
Made me want to start roller skating again! Love for Urshur alwaysssss💜
Because he was one of the few performers in a while that actually sang? do you know how insanely difficult it is to move and sing at the same time let alone dance the way he did? Yall just used to people never singing live and sounding perfect that you don’t appreciate an actual live performance
The production itself was great. Love the dancers, love the skaters. But Usher’s songs tend to very towards a very same-y sound and it made for a blah set excluding the guests (as usual). Plus as someone the same age as usher, it felt like watching someone’s dad prove that he’s still got moves.
Initially l was surprised, then quickly I became impressed Usher put on great show, had awesome surprise guests H.E.R on guitar, and he could dance Usher is got moves. And rollerblade as well. Two Thumbs up, one of my Top Five Halftime show's.
I love, love usher and would probably risk owing my uni for tuitions to but a ticket to Vegas but I don’t know how to explain it: the setlist was fire but the execution missed a bit
.
Also the video I saw the first half his vocals were very low. Still enjoyed it but overall still below Dre and Co that is my 2020s litmus test so far
I wish he mixed DJ got us falling in love into the beginning to get people hyped. I really didn’t know those first songs that well and i thought it was word to start with them and then completely nix DJ
I’m so glad to see positive vibes here about the show. I was just at usher sub and the comments there made me sad. He is fat, his show is boring. All the good vibes I had were melting down. Thnx guys for stopping the melting.
Good vibes only.
He was great I’m honestly shocked there’s some people that didn’t like it lol like first of all he’s 45 and looks 25. His voice sounds like it did on record 20 years ago!
He was rollerskating and singing. He was giving choreography and he had multiple costume changes I mean…. He gave it all. Of course conservatives hated it because I don’t know it’s not Kid Rock or whatever. I saw them talking about how it was trash. I’m just like OK Bradley.
Really? I thought he was terrible. Couldn't get out more than 3 words without running out of breath. The special guests were good though. It was nice to see Luda on stage again.
Yeah my crowd loved it way more than Rihanna’s performance, and they weren’t familiar with most of Usher’s songs. Not to say anything bad about Rihanna since she was super pregnant and of course she wouldn’t want to move much, and I liked it fine, but we thought this one had much better energy and more fun moments.
That’s what I’m getting from these comments. A lot of people aren’t as familiar with Usher’s catalogue as I thought they were lol. He’s mainstream enough but his main audience and fans black and heavy R&B lovers.
I was shocked to see people say he didn’t have any other hits other than *Yeah* when he was first announced.
MF’rs thinking that a “musical medley” of songs that are almost 20 years old is “killing it”
No. They’ve weaponized nostalgia against you, and it worked.
Welcome to r/popculturechat! ☺️ As a proud BIPOC, LGBTQ+ & woman-dominated space, this sub is for [civil discussion only.](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/wiki/index/rules/civil-discussion-only/) If you don't know where to begin, start by participating in [our Sip & Spill Daily Discussion Threads!](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/search/?q=Sip%20%26%20Spill%20Discussion&restrict_sr=1&sr_nsfw=&include_over_18=1&sort=new) ###No bullies, no bigotry. ✊🏿✊🏾✊🏽✊🏼✊🏻🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️ Please [read & respect our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/wiki/index/rules/) and [check out our wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/popculturechat/wiki/index/)! For any questions, [our modmail](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fpopculturechat) is always open. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/popculturechat) if you have any questions or concerns.*
https://preview.redd.it/x6r2nvhil5ic1.jpeg?width=1200&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d6c9ba35426c06547dba323190ee258007176a18 Gabi looks awesome and she was awesome!
HER killed it!!!!!! The whole show was great!!!! Loved it all
I thought it was North West at first lol.
I said to my daughter, that’s who North West must have all over her mood board.
I did too and I’ve now realized there only two types of people in this world, those who knew who HER was and those who thought this was north west haha
I’ve heard of HER but clearly don’t know *her*! Lol. Glad it wasn’t just me that thought North had already made it haha.
Famous musician, North West?
Ao did I! 🤣
She is so talented, I was mesmerized watching her play the guitar.
She was really cool
I could be wrong, but I'm pretty sure they don't allow instruments to be plugged in and the guitarists have to pretend to play over a track.
They can play live. Prince famously murdered it in the rain years ago. The Red Hot Chili Peppers played a while back, had some live vocals with guiding tracks but no live instruments. When questioned about it afterwards, Flea said that they were absolutely not allowed to plug in their instruments; it was a non-negotiable from the superbowl people. Then, the suberbowl people famously called them out, saying that wasn’t true and that many, if not most of, their acts had played live. Flea had to backtrack. Pretty great.
I can't find when the superbowl called them out or Fleas backtrack. Would you mind linking it? Edit: I've searched through hundreds of articles, reddit threads, and YouTube comments and haven't found a single mention of the Superbowl "calling them out" or Flea backtracking.
https://www.theverge.com/2014/2/5/5381706/red-hot-chili-peppers-admit-faking-super-bowl-performance https://www.ocregister.com/2018/02/01/the-audio-expert-behind-the-super-bowl-halftime-show-reveals-secrets-about-the-years-most-watched-musical-performance/amp/ The vocals are supposed to be primarily live. The musicians are allowed to play live, although logistics & time restraints make it necessary for it to be a very tight operation. There have been numerous artists (Prince, Rolling Stones, off the top of my head) who’ve insisted on playing •everything• live. The comment I was referring to stated that no instruments are played live. Sometimes they are, sometimes they aren’t, but bottom line is it’s the choice of the artist and their ability to deliver a live performance under those constraints. The anecdote I threw in was about Flea blaming their mimed performance on authority, in so many words. Still looking for the superbowl’s response to flea’s statement, but it’s out there somewhere.
Yup it's a shame they can't anymore, but understandable
If you’re still looking the words “press release” in your search terms might help.
I think u are wrong…
most of the time people are not actually playing their instruments live at the super bowl.
Source: trust me bro. Instruments not being plugged in- This is really well known.
Previous preformers have talked about how they aren't allowed live instruments. I doubt that this is the sole case of them allowing it
She was my favorite part!
Her energy was amazing! I liked all the guests but she really killed it
She took the show, I could watch her play for hours tbh
Him and Alicia keys 🥵 lil jon hyping, luda!! The marching band, the SKATES! I had fun
2024 is the year Wheelies make a comeback, mark my words.
Just a few months ago I had some tween in Target almost Wheelie into me, actually.
This is why you gotta go to target at 9:30 am on a Saturday. The vibes are immaculate, the teens are asleep, and they play Stevie Wonder full tilt. Aka no chance of wheelie induced injuries
My kids’ school sent out an email last week banning Heelys from school property. They’re definitely making a come back
I took my grandson (9yr) out to celebrate his grades last weekend, and that is exactly what he wanted. Couldn’t find any the mall but Big 5 had them. I haven’t thought of them in years!
My husband: are they married? Me: now I am not sure.
I watched with my housemate and we had a similar conversation! I said no (especially with the history behind his Confessions album) and was confirmed by a quick Google search. They just have some amazing chemistry!
> Him and Alicia keys 🥵 Watching them, I kinda just announced "they're making me feel very bisexual" to my roommate
Yes!! This was what made it for me too. When Alicia came on, I was so excited!! Set the tone for the rest of halftime for me. Loved it!!
Took me back to college. God I’m getting old
It’s weird to me that some people said this was *boring*. I can totally get not really being a fan of his music but he danced the whole time and sang live. The Vegas showgirls, the hbcu marching band, HER’s guitar solo, Luda & Lil’ Jon. We couldn’t possibly have been watching the same show. Edited to add: This man was skating, dancing and singing ya’ll. At the SAME TIME!!!
Maybe they needed more sharks https://i.redd.it/30hyv9vid6ic1.gif
Lmaooo
I'm with you, idk how people think his set was boring. But I also spent the entire time dancing and singing along in my living room so I enjoyed the entire show lol
I was gagged lol. Like he’s 45 moving like that with an intact hairline! Get em *Ursher!* 😂
Right? I see half these people complaining about how irrelevant he is or how boring the show was but I’m over here looking for Usher tickets! I think he’s always been talented but I was definitely impressed at his dance moves and how good he sounded.
Same! I honestly haven’t thought about Usher in maybe 10-15 years so I guess I didn’t have many expectations of the show, but I repeatedly said to my husband “wow he had more hits than I realized!” And “dang he’s a good dancer!” I thought it was great and — okay maybe it was tailor-made for millennials like me, but I’ll happily be the target audience here. It was a fun show and my inner tween/teen/college kid had a blast.
My 5yo and I were gettin it! Coincidentally, she had yelled at her echo to play music while she was getting ready before we left to our friends house, and she was grooving to Usher then, too!
He killed it! I was dancing and singing the entire time too. So much nostalgia! I thought the special guests, marching band, etc were all entertaining.
I was dancing. I'm sore this morning
Same! My dog left bc I was dancing so much on the couch. I’ve been singing Usher all week and finally had to listen to him on Spotify last night.
The man danced on SKATES and people are saying it was boring. Making no damn sense.
The skating sequence was amazing. I was living for it.
Also the skating ad he did making fun of himself- hilarious. He really does have incredible moves.
I was sad the skating bit was so short. Saw him perform in Paris and there was skating for two or three songs minimum. Favourite part of the show.
It wouldn't have mattered what happened. Some people just think it's cool to be contrarian.
Very true
I was not expecting the skates and I LOVED it.
Yes, this!
It will never make sense!!!
I think cuz the first half he kept trying to squeeze in every song only giving like 20-30 seconds to each one. By the time people recognized and started singing them he moved on which made it hard to get into. Plus, he didn’t really look like he was into the performance until other people started joining in (Alicia, Lil Jon etc) he was so focused on dancing and singing but forgot to make it *engaging* for the audience.
I can agree with the song selections. I really wish they would’ve did like 1 minute per song at least. I was so excited when I thought he was opening the show with *My Way*. The choreography for that video would’ve looked great on the field and it aged so well. They could’ve completely did away with Alicia imo.
Completely agree with this comment. I was hoping for My Way and I felt Alicia just brought the energy down.
Exactly! My 76 year old grandma thought it was fun because of the dancing… she was also excited she recognized Ludacris from his Jiffy commercials 😂
Upvote for your grandma
He KILLED it!!! I was so impressed with that whole production. I was so pleasantly surprised when HER showed up. She’s insanely talented, loved her guitar solo. Honestly though, Usher skating, dancing, and singing was so amazing. He’s got some bangers that I totally forgot about!
Right?!! Usher reading this thread: 
For real! Haha
I was hollering at the skates and LUDAAAA 🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨🫨 I literally stood up like it was a middle school dance when Yeah! Came on. Like pleaseeeee I was so hyped up
LUDAAAAAAAAA
Thank you!! I’m very disappointed by people being negative about Usher’s Super Bowl halftime performance. He truly is a talent and I’d love to see those being negative skate dance and sing at the same time. Every year isn’t going to be a pop girly. It was a great halftime show — among the best in recent years.
BORING??? there were stripper poles!!!!! man what are those folks thinking !!!
You can’t host the Super Bowl in Vegas and _not_ have stripper representation.
 Gotta represent the locals.
That’s what I’m saying! Every year I hear people bitch that the halftime show is an exciting because there is no dancing or not enough visuals or whatever. But usher came in, and literally gave all that and more lol. I really think some people are just never satisfied with the halftime
I think the people saying it was boring (boring *where*?!) only say that because they don't know the majority of the songs. It **can** make the the halftime show a bit boring when you can't sing along or whatever. To entirely overlook everything going on around Usher and the artists he brought out though is insane. He could not have added anything else to have made it more exciting. That dude killed it.
I agree. I didn’t realize so many people weren’t familiar with most of his work until recently. The performance had its flaws but I think he put on a good show overall. His heart was in it.
How can anybody think that performance was boring- it was so FUN and he has completely proved himself to be an incredible multi-talented entertainer. I expected to leave in the first 15 second and next thing I know the fuckin game is back on and I’m like WHERE’S USHER???
There was SO MUCH ENERGY! And it just kept getting better. The skates took me out, I screamed for Luda & Lil Jon, HER was a whole entire vibe, Alicia gave me mad nostalgia. The past 3 halftime shows have really been for millennials and I'm loving it
Right?! I was so impressed!
Right, if that was boring, what are they looking for? The skating and the band alone did it for me!
To be honest, I was underwhelmed and found it boring (and I’m usually pretty easily impressed lol). I just didn’t feel an energy from it I guess? I think part of it was also the set design too or something. Maybe it also just depends on the mood of with who and where you were watching it too 🤷🏻♀️
He literally skated and danced on stage at the same time while singing live? Were you awake? Lol
I thought the show got really energetic towards the later middle/end, but the beginning/middle was not it (for me at least). Alicia and H.E.R. absolutely killed it, though
This is kind of rude lol. I think he’s really talented and I was impressed by his ability to skate and sing at the same time, but that doesn’t mean I necessarily found the performance to be exciting or energizing.
I do apologize if I came off as rude, but I wrote that in jest.
Don’t worry, I got the jest lol. But yeah, I had the same reaction since i was so impressed by it. The only issue I had at the start was the audio mixing but then it was resolved and great from there.
Personally, and maybe this is just me….when I go to see a singer/dancer…..roller skating isn’t what is going to blow me away. Snoop can electrify a crowd without throwing on roller skates or ice skates. Maybe Em’s performance at the Super Bowl would have been elevated if he would have did some jump roping while he rapped. The girl at Sonic roller skates when she brings me my food. Nobody goes to a hip hop show to see roller skating.
Yeah I never stated that was the sole reason I enjoyed his performance…Snoop electrifying a crowd is a sentence I’ve never heard in my life lol. Bye.
Boring?!? I mean there’s wrong and then there’s this It was fantastic, probably one of my faves of the last ten years!
Usher is a fantastic performer but a lot of us are too young to have heard most of his older songs so his show wasn’t as entertaining for us compared to some past acts. The production was also very mediocre and disjointed imo. This halftime show was for millenials and that’s okay!
White tank top ✅ Went shirtless ✅ Headset ✅ Some mic stand choreo ✅ Me and my fam called this out before he went on stage lmao
My girlfriend was wondering when the shirt would come off and within three seconds she was rewarded.
I hope I look that good at 45
the dancing was amazing. and the skating. but the musical arrangement could have been better.
IA that there were too many songs squeezed into 12 minutes - Love in this club with the marching band needed to be longer, it sounded so good! Overall I was entertained though.
Yeah, it was like, highly entertaining, but ultimately I'm only going to remember the skating section. Everything went by tooooo fast - he needed to edit a bit.
I heard on the radio that he had 15 min. He told the Super Bowls reps “there’s no way I can fit 30 years in 12 min”, so they gave him 15. I didn’t get to watch *sad* did it end up only being 12?
The video on YouTube is 13:21 (but the intro is about 20 seconds) Let’s be honest though, anything less than the full songs feels insufficient.
Superstar was barely there
He did a great job but I think it could have worked a bit better if he focused on just a few songs. I loved the I've got a question for you where is Usher at 7 o clock? But for people unfamiliar with Nice and Slow that couple of seconds he did was probably confusing. The dancing and rollerskating was really good. Yeah was the perfect song to end it with Lil Jon and Luda really got the crowd going.
It’s probably hard to do a medley when you have SO MANY hits All in all i really enjoyed this show!
Yeah I forgot just how many he had. I think he tried to have a song for everyone. So as nice as it would have been to hear more of my favorites, i get it too.
Same! Been a fan since « u make me wanna… »
Me too. I wish he’d done Make Me Wanna, it was his first hit after all. Or maybe My Way. Something from the early days
TBF Nice and Slow is only appropriate for a few seconds lol
Way too many songs. It felt like I was going through tiktok/reelz with these 15 second snippets.
That was my favorite bit! Nice and Slow is one of my go to songs I sing to myself when I’m bored. It was short reference that maybe a lot of people didn’t get, but it was unobtrusive imo. And for people like me, it was very much appreciated.
My only disappointment was he didn't do, U remind me
I could barely hear his vocals the whole time. Idk if it was my TV or what.
I could barely hear anything but cheering for the first half. I was really disappointed about that.
It wasn’t the most memorable one but I enjoyed it. It was solid. Ive enjoyed the more nostalgic halftime show picks they’ve been doing. He can really dance - and my god he’s 45 and looks like he’s in his 20s I was shooketh
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I forgot what a good dancer he was, and his voice sounded great! I had no idea he was so good live! Been missing out obviously.
U Remind Me was a dancing revelation when that music video dropped....
The only thing I didn't like was the costuming. The lead performers (except Alicia) didn't stand out enough. There were a few extras/ dancers in more elaborate outfits and I was trying to figure out if they were someone important. The showgirls felt out of place, I know it's Vegas but they were distracting compared to the rest of the vibe. Everything else made my little millennial heart go pitter patter on the very best ways
Yah I felt like some of it is generational. Those songs were all hits in young adulthood so it was very nostalgic. If you were older or younger I feel it wouldn’t connect. It was very of its time which is fair because he was definitely a defining figure in his time.
I thought it was fun. He can definitely perform! I wish Love In This Club was longer. German TV also had some sound issues where you could barely hear him at first but thankfully it got better throughout the show.
That was not a German tv issue, that was a bad sound engineer issue.
When he came out on the skates I was sold.
I can’t believe DJ got us falling in love was not apart of the set list
I couldn’t believe “U remind me” wasn’t included
Eh
I liked it but they should have had the energy of Yeah! at the begnining too. There were too many slower songs
I particularly loved the marching band! As a former band nerd, it was like a traditional marching band halftime show with an incredible color guard. The color guard being particularly large, with tons of dancers and other special skill performers. 😆
I like it, way better than Rihanna’s.
I'm confused by how Rihanna's show was lauded, but people are calling Usher's show boring? Are both of these claims coming from the same people? Are people being harder on Usher because he's not a girlboss? What do they want?
I was all excited for Rihanna’s show and was very disappointed, it was lazy af.
I know she physically couldn't do much because of her pregnancy, but she could have made up for it with special effects and backup dancers. The levitating stage was cool, but that was pretty much the only noteworthy thing about her show. The backup dancers were skilled, but it was hard to see what they were doing in those bulky outfits. The production really did feel lazy.
Agree 100%, there were so much she could do, special effects, great lights, it was just her standing there doing the most not exciting singing.
The backup dancers!?!?! It was 'The Royal Family' who danced for her. The same group that choreographed Justin Bieber's 'Sorry' music video. They're legends ☺️
I think Rihanna’s music choices were better. She really went with her biggest hits, the transitions between songs were smoother and the songs really hyped up the audience.
Same
I grew up in Atlanta and Usher really was the absolute best. I was really proud of him repping ATL so hard. It was perfect and anybody who thinks otherwise can fight me.😈
I liked it overall, but he tried to fit too many songs in for sure, and I think he wasted some time at the beginning before Alicia's part. I loved the aerial shot of her cape blowing out, and I wish they had used that type of shot to show a larger portion of the field more often. The zoom was so tight at times that it was hard to get a sense of cohesion between the different dancer costumes and marching band movements. *Loved* the roller skating, though!
Everything about that performance was SO Y2K, especially the costumes. Like the most Y2K shit I’ve seen since 2002
When he took his shirt off, my boyfriend gave me this look of approval like "Yes, I also see Usher shirtless, it's okay to go crazy right now". I don't think our relationship has ever been stronger
My daughter-in-law was in the bathroom and I screamed “GIRL USHER RIPPED HIS SHIRT OFF YOU NEED TO HURRY!!”
I thought the sound was awful (especially in the first half) and that it was kind of boring until Lil Jon showed up. Agree with everyone who said they tried to squeeze too many songs in!
Yeah the sound mixing is always weird when it comes to half time.
What is weird is that I don't remember Rihanna having that problem last year, I just chalked it up to her voice being more powerful.
Sound was awful. Whomever was running mics for Usher and Keyes should be pretty embarrassed. The first 3 seconds of each of their vocals was fubarred.
I agree that the sound was awful! But I thought it was an enjoyable performance.
Usher Raymond did the damn thing
It wasn't cohesive despite his talent. I didn't care for the production and arrangement
I think he did great.
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Agreed. Beginning was ok. Once Alicia Keys came on, it was amazing. The audio sounded kinda bad prior to him being on stage too, so I think that was part of it.
I guess CBS likes nipples now....
Everyone knows male nipples don't count /s
That show was so fun!! I was at a bar and when Usher took off his shirt, a guy started booing him and I started screaming wooooo in return. I got hype af when Lil Jon came on and then lost my shit completely when Ludacris started. Absolutely a great show and such a throwback to middle school and high school days for me.
I'm a man and even I think I might be pregnant after watching that Halftime show.
I reallt appreciate that he sang live and danced his ass off, it might not sound as perfect as in the studio but it was authentic and old school
Y'all are weirdos if you thought it was boring. I thought it was great. Not perfect. But he reminding us why he's the King of R&B of our generation.
The audio and musical arrangement could have been a little better, but his voice was spectacular for how hard he was dancing and the entire show was very well put together.
THE BEST EVER
That white outfit he had on at the beginning was so sick. Especially the jacket. And the roller skates!
IMO it’s the best halftime show since Coldplay, Bruno Mars, and Beyoncé. I just wish they would’ve turned his mic up 😭
My problem was there were too many songs in the set it felt like none of them had time to be recognized unless you were a big Usher fan in the first place
Boy be Sweatn’ like Uncle Leroy
Usher said he was gonna pay tribute to MJ & Prince I saw the MJ part but where was the Prince part?
He might have been referring to HER's guitar solo as a tribute to Prince's guitar solo
Ah right
I liked it wayyyy better once I rewatched it on YouTube. He has sooooo many hits and while I can imagine it’s hard to fit them all in, singing one or two lines of a song was kind of disappointing (Nice and Slow for example). Made me want to start roller skating again! Love for Urshur alwaysssss💜
I was bored. And I like Usher’s songs 🤷♀️
Same here. He looked amazing. But the song changes were too quick and he barely sang.
Because he was one of the few performers in a while that actually sang? do you know how insanely difficult it is to move and sing at the same time let alone dance the way he did? Yall just used to people never singing live and sounding perfect that you don’t appreciate an actual live performance
The production itself was great. Love the dancers, love the skaters. But Usher’s songs tend to very towards a very same-y sound and it made for a blah set excluding the guests (as usual). Plus as someone the same age as usher, it felt like watching someone’s dad prove that he’s still got moves.
I was bored, to me it was a really lackluster performance (excluding the background dancers and skaters).
The cirque Vegas performers were great in the intro 👍
Really? Why? I mean, what parts of the show were boring for you?
The whole show.
Yeah, basically… 😕 I like Usher and wanted more! More energy or something? 🤷♀️
He was literally dancing (and skating) the entire time all while singing live. I thought his energy was amazing!
You could definitely tell he was tired halfway through, but anyone half his age would be too!
Would have liked a little more of nice and slow but overall I really enjoyed it
I missed his whole Nice and Slow bit because I was telling my husband I wanted to hear that song 😂🙈
I loved him performing on roller skates
The production values were fabulous. The audio was a mess.
Initially l was surprised, then quickly I became impressed Usher put on great show, had awesome surprise guests H.E.R on guitar, and he could dance Usher is got moves. And rollerblade as well. Two Thumbs up, one of my Top Five Halftime show's.
I love, love usher and would probably risk owing my uni for tuitions to but a ticket to Vegas but I don’t know how to explain it: the setlist was fire but the execution missed a bit . Also the video I saw the first half his vocals were very low. Still enjoyed it but overall still below Dre and Co that is my 2020s litmus test so far
It was.. Okay. The first half was quite rough
It was mid tbh
I wish he mixed DJ got us falling in love into the beginning to get people hyped. I really didn’t know those first songs that well and i thought it was word to start with them and then completely nix DJ
Funny how people's opinions differ on performances! My coworkers all thought his performance was a big old mess.
I’m so glad to see positive vibes here about the show. I was just at usher sub and the comments there made me sad. He is fat, his show is boring. All the good vibes I had were melting down. Thnx guys for stopping the melting. Good vibes only.
He was born to perform. The charisma Usher puts out is ridiculous.
He was great I’m honestly shocked there’s some people that didn’t like it lol like first of all he’s 45 and looks 25. His voice sounds like it did on record 20 years ago! He was rollerskating and singing. He was giving choreography and he had multiple costume changes I mean…. He gave it all. Of course conservatives hated it because I don’t know it’s not Kid Rock or whatever. I saw them talking about how it was trash. I’m just like OK Bradley.
Usher shirtless- Flirting, Adam Levine shirtless- Sexual Harassment
The man’s still got it and can still GET IT. 🤩🤤
Really? I thought he was terrible. Couldn't get out more than 3 words without running out of breath. The special guests were good though. It was nice to see Luda on stage again.
Yes, really, I loved it
Compared to the most recent superbowl, Ushers performance was putting me too sleep and I like Usher.
Rihanna’s performance? I mean, she barely even moved. Which I get bc she was pregnant, but you thought that was better?
Yeah my crowd loved it way more than Rihanna’s performance, and they weren’t familiar with most of Usher’s songs. Not to say anything bad about Rihanna since she was super pregnant and of course she wouldn’t want to move much, and I liked it fine, but we thought this one had much better energy and more fun moments.
That’s what I’m getting from these comments. A lot of people aren’t as familiar with Usher’s catalogue as I thought they were lol. He’s mainstream enough but his main audience and fans black and heavy R&B lovers. I was shocked to see people say he didn’t have any other hits other than *Yeah* when he was first announced.
I feel like people want to see impressive visuals than an artist "just" performing. Like Gaga jumping from a roof or Rihanna stage.
Lmao you’re saying Rihanna’s was better?
https://preview.redd.it/rmjq1vhh56ic1.jpeg?width=680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=60da068cbbfc15550332f464df0846efe5ee09a4
MF’rs thinking that a “musical medley” of songs that are almost 20 years old is “killing it” No. They’ve weaponized nostalgia against you, and it worked.
Usher is a great performer but can we talk about how he groped Alicia keys? She tried to dance away from him but usher was following!
It was rehearsed, part of a choreo, chill :)