Usher kicked things off during his electrifying Super Bowl 2024 Halftime Show!
The R&B singer, 45, pulled out all the stops for his career-long 13-minute performance at Sunday’s Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas.
The superstar (whose real name is Usher Raymond IV) channeled the partying energy of Sin City for his performance at Allegiant Stadium. During his set, the hitmaker was joined by a large list of dancers in costumes inspired by showgirls, featherweights, acrobats and baton spinners, and a full marching band playing around the field.
Usher and Alicia perform during halftime of the 2024 Super Bowl.
PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty
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Usher started the performance sitting on a couch in the middle of the field. He wore a white Liberace-inspired cape which he removed to reveal a white, sparkly suit from Dolce & Gabbana. He started the concert by going back to his acclaimed album from 2004 Confessionsthe song “Caught Up” is playing.
He then broke into “U Don’t Have to Call” and sweetly declared, “They said I wouldn’t make it, but I did. Hey mom, we made it, this is for you.”
Moving to the smaller stage, he played a brief interlude of “Superstar” and then performed “Love in this Club” — without breaking his dynamic choreography.
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HER and Usher perform during the Super Bowl Halftime Show.
Ethan Miller/Getty
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The show featured a star-studded line-up of special guests – they kicked off with Alicia Keys, who was also dressed in a shimmering, red Dolce&Gabanna ensemble. The singer, 43, began her part of the set by singing her own song “If I Ain’t Got You,” which Usher ended up joining as a duet before the two sang a rendition of their song “My Boo” together. When they finished their joint performance, they hugged.
Usher played “Confessions Part II,” “Burn” and “U Got It Bad,” during which he wore one glove, seemingly as a nod to the late Michael Jackson. He then removed his shirt to reveal his flawless six-pack and a Jacquie Aiche diamond pendant with his initial.
HER joined him on electric guitar during “U Got It Bad” enthralling the audience with an impressive solo.
Surprise guests came out one after the other for the rest of the set, including Jermaine Dupri, will.i.am for “OMG” and Lil Jon — who played his own hit “Turn Down for What — as well as Ludacris, for the finale “Yeah!” Although Usher began his set referencing his early days, he closed the show by referencing his present, replicating parts of his My Way residency in Las Vegas, such as roller-skating and strip choreography.
“I took the world to A. I took the world to A,” he repeated at the end of the performance, referring to his hometown of Atlanta and revealing what a full-circle moment was to him as a turning point in his career.
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Ludacris, Usher, Lil Jon and Jermaine Dupri during the 2024 Super Bowl Halftime.
Kevin Mazur/Getty
Watch PEOPLE’s full coverage of Super Bowl LVII live on CBS from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.This is Usher’s first time hosting the Super Bowl halftime show. He previously performed with the Black Eyed Peas as a guest performer during their 2011 halftime show at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
When he was announced as the 2024 Super Bowl halftime host in September 2023, Usher called it “the honor of a lifetime.”
“It’s the honor of my life to finally cross a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list. I can’t wait to bring the world a performance unlike anything they’ve seen from me before. Thank you to the fans and everyone who made this opportunity happen. See you soon.” he said in a statement. While planning the show, Usher reflected on the past struggles of black artists.
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He said further Good morning America that he was thinking about the musicians of the past “who at one point had to go through kitchens to even be able to perform in front of an audience.”
“They had to come back through that same door, you know, fearing for their lives because they went to the next state to do the same thing. So I’m walking in the front door with this,” Usher said.
Usher also received support from past Super Bowl halftime performers Katy Perry and Rihanna and “tons of notes” from his children.
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His performance at the Super Bowl comes two days after he released his ninth studio album, Coming home. Although his Las Vegas residency ends in December 2023, fans can expect to see him perform his new music on the USHER: Past Present Future tour.
The tour is set to kick off on August 20th at the Capital One Arena in Washington, DC and wrap up at the United Center in Chicago on October 29th.
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The 2024 Super Bowl game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs is live on CBS.
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Source: HIS Education