Usher promises to roller-skate during Super Bowl Halftime performance
Usher has promised to roller-skate during Super Bowl Halftime performance this weekend.
The R&B singer is due to take to the stage at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Sunday (February 11) as part of the Super Bowl LVIII, where the Kansas City Chiefs will go up against the San Francisco 49ers.
Last month, Usher teased that he’d be bringing on “some important guests”. It was also noted that the performance would feature some skating, “killer choreography” and a “major costume change”.
Speaking to Apple Music (via BBC), the ‘Yeah!’ artist elaborated on his plans, saying he’d recreate a skating sequence from his recent Vegas residency. He explained that the Halftime Show would be a “crescendo”, marking a “new beginning” of his career.
“It definitely has been a challenge to squeeze 30 years into 13 minutes,” Usher recalled of putting the setlist together
Usher explained that he’d been “very mindful of [his] past” and the songs he thinks “people know [him] for”, as well as popular dance routines from his past.
He also hinted at the surprise guests, saying he would be joined onstage by artists who have appeared “on songs that became hit records”.
“That gave me the greatest point of reference,” said the singer, who has previously collaborated with the likes of Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Alicia Keys and Lil Jon.
Usher recently said he’d been inspired by legendary Vegas showmen such as Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley while working on his Super Bowl Halftime Show, as well as music icons like Michael Jackson and Prince.
He explained that he wanted the audience to feel like they were being personally serenaded by him during the spectacle: “I’m literally speaking to every woman. I want to make it feel like that.”
Usher released his new album ‘Coming Home’ today (February 9). It marks his first solo full-length project since 2016’s ‘Hard II Love’.
Meanwhile, Taylor Swift fans are anticipating that the pop star could be in attendance at the Super Bowl to cheer on her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
Swift, however, is currently midway through four consecutive ‘Eras Tour’ shows in Tokyo, Japan – with the final date scheduled for Saturday (February 10).
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Tom Skinner
NME
