Usher transported us back to the 90s with his second halftime performance at the 58th annual Super Bowl. His presentation and dance moves were reminiscent of Prince and inspired by Michael Jackson. The first half of his show was dedicated to his power ballads and focused more on vocals. Alicia Keys joined him in a duet of their famous song “My Boo”. The transition to the ending piece was signaled by H.E.R. coming out to play guitar with dancers coming out on roller skates. Usher ended his halftime performance with a bang, performing his hit song “Yeah” with Lil John, Ludacris, and will.Ii.am.
The introduction was fun and lighthearted, with his backup dancers’ mismatched costumes adding life to the show. His duet with Alicia Keys helps maintain the hype of the audience and their excitement throughout the show. Usher blew the crowd away with his dance number on roller blades, which also brought the 90s aspect back. The halftime performance ended with Usher’s most popular song, “Yeah”. It was a collaboration between Usher and rappers Ludacris, Lil John, and will.i.am. All four artists reunited to perform their hit song and end the show on a high note. The last few minutes were the best part of the show, which allowed him to end on a high note.
While the overall performance was strong and energetic, there were several moments throughout the show where criticism arose. First, his microphone was low and made it hard to hear. While one can appreciate him wanting to perform his ballads, they mellowed out the performance and made it drag. It took him 8 minutes and 30 seconds to start doing his hip hop and R&B, which he should have done earlier in the show, since it is what he is best known for. He had H.E.R. perform a guitar solo, which helped bring the energy back from his ballad that was a bit boring. His costumes were very underwhelming, despite all the glitter and shimmer. The bands that were playing live were very good at bringing the energy and the trumpets were very prominent throughout.
Overall, the performance was one to remember and contributed to the memorable and exciting game that took place. It may have also gained him a few new fans.
