This past Sunday (Feb. 11, 2024) was Super Bowl weekend, and the headliner for the halftime show was none other than Usher, baby!  Y’all just don’t know; I’ve loved Usher ever since I was 13 and he came out with “Think of You” (true Usher fans and/or old heads may remember that song). 

Similar to last year, once I heard who the performer for the Super Bowl would be, I was psyched.  The only difference is, last year, I was a bit disappointed (still love ya, Ri-Ri!).  This year, I LIVED for this show.  It exceeded my expectations.

Usher’s show started off a bit all over the place, but in an interesting way.  As I’m sure you all know, Usher’s had a residency in Vegas for a hot minute now, and this year’s Super Bowl took place in the city that never sleeps.  The show opened with “Caught Up,” and featured acrobatics, contortionists, circus performers, and show girls. 

By the time Usher launched into “There Goes My Baby,” most of the Vegas show folks were gone and replaced with a marching band.  On a side note, I’ve noticed that marching bands are slowly becoming a staple during Super Bowl halftime shows, and as a former marching band member, I love it! 

Afterwards, Ms. Alicia Keys made her appearance, wearing a hot red number with a long cape.  Now, I know some folks gave her hell (no pun intended) for wearing a red outfit—and for striking a pose for a photo that looked a bit like Christ’s crucifixion—but I found the garment cute (no comment on the pose).  I hope I can get snatched like that one day.  Also, when Alicia was sitting at the piano, there was a large red sheet flowing behind her that was released into the wind as she began singing “If I Ain’t Got You.”  Something about that was just ethereal.  Then, she and Usher launched into “My Boo,” and I have to say, those two looked really good together, especially when Usher playfully hugged her at the end of the song.  I can’t help but wonder if Swizz Beats felt a way when he saw that. 😂

Next, Jermaine Dupree came out to hype the crowd up—while wearing a weird choice of clothing—and Usher launched into a medley of “Nice and Slow,” “Burn,” and U Got It Bad.”  I loved the graphics that appeared on the stage!  During “Nice and Slow” the stage had an effect that looked like a clock, and Usher’s shadow created an hour hand (but it looked more like a minute hand), much like a sundial.  When Usher’s shadow showed it was 7:00 (which looked more like 11:35), he launched into the first few lines of “Nice and Slow.”  Y’all know ‘em:  “It’s seven o’clock, on the dot, I’m in the drop top crusin’ the streets…”  Of course, when Usher was performing “Burn,” the stage looked as if it were burning away.  For “U Got It Bad,” a special effect wasn’t needed for the stage…because Usher took his shirt off, and that was more than enough to make me melt in my seat.  I have say, Usher still looks just as gorgeous as he did when he was a teenager.

Usher didn’t keep his shirt off for too long, but I wasn’t dismayed (much), because immediately afterward came the part that I was hoping to see:  the skating section.  I’ve noticed clips of Usher at his Las Vegas shows skating on stage, which I thought were really cool, seeing as how you don’t see many men skating.  Hell, Bruno and Andy made a song called “Skate,” but refused to get on skates (Andy claimed he didn’t have the knees for it). 

Usher came out with a different outfit—which made me happy; I wasn’t really feelin’ the white one—and did the damn thing on those skates!  Will.I.Am came out to perform “OMG,” and there was a time during the performance that Usher slid between his legs while doing the skating routine!  That was slick. 

I forgot to mention that HER took part in the show too, playing “Bad Girl” on her guitar.  I’ll say it once and I’ll say it again, HER is a female version of Bruno.

Naturally, the finale was one of Usher’s biggest hits, “Yeah.”  For this number, Usher did his thing with the help of Lil’ Jon and Ludacris, just as he had on the original track.  It was so cool seeing Lil’ Jon again.  The last time I laid eyes on him was during his season of The Celebrity Apprentice way back in 2009.  Anyway, these three brought the house down, and I couldn’t get enough. 

This year’s Super Bowl halftime show was almost as good as the Hip Hop event that happened back in 2022 (the one that featured Dr. Dre, Snoop, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent, and Eminem…and Andy!).  It was extremely refreshing after being let down by last year’s show (sorry, Ri-Ri…I still love you!). The only thing I didn’t care for this year was JD’s outfit. Lord… Aside from that, it slapped!  Now I’m dying to go to an Usher show!  Great job, boo!

—Written by Nadiya

Did you see this year’s Super Bowl halftime show?  What did you think of it?  Did you enjoy Usher’s performance?  Did you think it was better than last year’s or worse?  What did you think of Jermaine Dupree’s new look?  What did you think of all the other appearances from the other artists?  What was your favorite or least favorite part of the show?  What Super Bowl halftime show is your favorite (mine are still Prince’s and Bruno’s)?  Let me know in the comments section!