Usher did not come to play at the Super Bowl halftime show.
He came prepared with a lively team that captivated his audience with stunning vocals, choreography and production. And while fan-favorite Justin Bieber did not make an appearance on stage, many other A-list names did join Usher for his dynamic performance.
The long list of participating artists and attention to current events like Black History Month cemented this as a noteworthy show, although it did receive some varied sentiment.
Mixed Sentiment
Credit: NBC News
Usher was hand-picked to perform at this year’s Super Bowl by Jay-Z, who said “Usher is the ultimate artist and showman.” Jay-Z’s company, Roc Nation, produces the halftime performance, an event which has been on Usher’s bucket list for years.
Choosing a halftime performer is not an easy task, as the chosen artist requires a broad allure, dedicated audience and a classic array of hits. With eight Grammys, the “King of R&B” was seen by many as an obvious choice for the half-time show. However, others spoke out against this, saying they would’ve been excited for his performance if it had happened 20 years ago.
During The Agency’s Brand Bowl — a collaboration with the UF Atlas Lab and the College of Journalism and Communications — around 40 participants voted on their sentiment of the half-time performance. With a 5.81 rating out of 10, it seems Brand Bowl participants were not intensely fond of the performance. However, TalkWalker found that the overall sentiment for the performance was positive.
A Powerful Performance
Credit: Forbes
Usher stunned viewers with soulful vocals, illuminating costume changes and fascinating choreography, even surprising the audience by dancing in roller skates. During the 13-minute performance, Alicia Keys, H.E.R, will.i.am, Ludacris, Lil Jon and more joined Usher on stage for song collaborations such as “My Boo,” “OMG” and “Yeah.”
This performance was influential, especially with Usher bringing attention to Black History Month. In a pre-performance interview with CBS, he said: "I mean the history of African Americans who had to perform here and couldn't go through the actual casinos… Now, to be here, the residency, it's like, man. What a whirlwind."
This was in line with directions from performance strategists, as Jay-Z had told Usher to “go for the culture” and to “give ‘em the moments that they, you know, look forward to seeing.”
Overall, Usher used his unique voice to put on an energetic show at the 2024 Super Bowl. The artist said he “[couldn’t] wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they’ve seen from [him] before,” and this is definitely what he did.
By: Alexandra Grundfast