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If you aren’t watching the Super Bowl for the teams, you are watching for the halftime show. Each year a different artist performs an extravagant setlist of their greatest hits and unique performances for the biggest game of the year, and R&B icon Usher certainly made this one memorable.
Surrounded by a colorful circus backup cast, Usher emerged in a sparkling white suit to perform his opening number of “Caught Up”. Despite 30 years in the business, Usher still has the silky smooth voice that grabbed everyone’s attention instantly. His voice was not the only thing he maintained, as Usher kept his long-standing title as a double threat by bursting into Michael Jackson-inspired dance breaks in “Love In This Club” and “Burn”. The most impressive part of Usher’s performance was his energy and consistency despite the sweltering Vegas heat. While at the end he had to blink and occasionally keep his eyes shut due to vast amounts of sweat, and he was visibly uncomfortable at moments, he kept up his character and performed all out despite the heat.
Besides Usher himself, the surprise guests were also phenomenal. Alicia Keys delivered a beautiful rendition of “Ain’t Got You” and performed her famous duet with Usher “My Boo” near perfectly, all while in a stunning scarlet jumpsuit meant for the MET Gala. Usher also gave the spotlight to guitar and R&B star H.E.R to shred the guitar solo of “Burn” which was reminiscent of Prince, but was quintessentially H.E.R. Finally, during the show’s finale, Lil John got the crowd bouncing with the classic club beat “Turn Down For What,” before welcoming rap legends will.i.am and Ludacris to tear the roof up in an unforgettable performance of the timeless hit “Yeah!”
However, this performance would not have been nearly as memorable without the backup dancers and choreography. Combining versatile dancers with rich, textured and thoughtful choreography that showed off the dancers while keeping the focus on the leads took this performance to the next level. From circus contortionists and showgirls to get the audience “Caught Up”, to innovative and astounding hip hop on roller skates worthy of “Oh My God,” the time and effort put into choreographing this show shines almost as brightly as Usher himself. While Usher’s songs are recognizable by themselves, the backup dancers gave them life and brought the party to the crowd.
Finally, the fashion choices for this show were near perfection. Usher entered in an elegant suit and robe meant for a king of R&B, and transited into a black and blue outfit that screamed the early 2000s in the best way possible. No expense was saved for the backup dancers either. Throughout the show, the backup dancers donned outfits that jumped off of a music video and onto the Super Bowl field. The entire cast came with the top-tier swag and class that Usher’s music signifies.
Overall, this halftime performance was phenomenal. While it may not be the “greatest of all time”, it was a fun, groovy throwback to the party-loving swagger of 2000s R&B with immaculate performances from Usher, Alicia Keys, H.E.R, will.i.am, Lil John, and Ludacris which left a sweet taste on the tongue. With the recent trend of R&B and rap artists performing at the Super Bowl, and the standard set by this show, one can hope that next year we will get an equally great performance.
