SUPER BOWL LVIII
How was Usher’s previous performance in the Super Bowl halftime show in 2011?
Usher is preparing for a second appearance on the Super Bowl Halftime Show. We look back at his first performance in 2011.
In September of last year, Apple Music and the NFL confirmed that Usher would be the headline artist at the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show. However, it will not be the first time that the R&B singer will have stepped out onto the huge stage that represents the Super Bowl halftime show.
On February 6, 2011, when the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers faced off in Super Bowl XLV at AT&T Stadium, Usher was one of the special guests who appeared during the Halftime Show hosted by the Black Eyed Peas.
After the band performed Let’s get it started, Usher made a grand entrance by descending from the top of the Cowboys stadium to perform OMG alongside will.i.am. As expected, his appearance was accompanied by a precise choreographic routine. Usher wore a total white look during his presentation.
Usher shares details of his show: “R&B will take the main stage”
In an interview for Vogue, Usher revealed a few details about what to expect from his upcoming performance. He spoke about planning the show and the process of choosing the perfect songs to fit into a tight 13-minute slot, without overrunning the military schedule time: “I’ve been doing this for 30 years. I want the people who have been part of that journey to feel that it is a celebration for everyone, for all of us, from the beginning to this moment,” he explained.
Usher also stated that the show will boast some spectacular choreography and that the genre, R&B, neo-soul, will be the center of attention. “Tonight was specifically selected in my mind for R&B to take center stage.” main stage… Not just R&B music, but R&B performance, R&B connection, R&B spirit,” he continued.
Although he didn’t offer specific details about his show, during the Halftime Show press conference he said it would incorporate elements from his successful Las Vegas Park MGM residency, which includes him dancing and singing while skating.
“I was very aware of my past, celebrating my present, which is here in Las Vegas, and thinking about where we are headed in the future. What songs do people know me by? What songs have been a celebration of [my career]? That was the idea [of the residency],” he concluded.
Usher’s new album Coming Home which features 20 songs will go on general release on Friday 8 February in various formats, both vinyl, CD, box set editions, digital home download plus a limited 1000-run colored 2xLP vinyl set. The eight-time Grammy winner announced details of his summer Past Present Future tour will see him play a total of 24 concerts in 17 North American cities between August and October. The tour kicks off in Washington DC and concludes in Chicago.