Usher doesn’t need no opener.
Much like his two-year Las Vegas residency, the king of R&B understands the ladies aren’t interested in seeing any other man but him. This even includes the boyfriends and husbands confident enough to treat their girl to the “Usher: Past Present Future” concert tour, an erotic encapsulation of 30 years of his genre-defining hits from the R&B canon.
And like the true 1990s-era balladeer that Mr. Raymond is – with his glistening abs and a 46-year-old face card that defies time – he’s here to get straight to business. Throughout the Chicago leg of his show, he’s a master at sensually staring fans directly in the eyes, flashing that warm come-hither smile, and crooning how he’s going to take things “Nice & Slow.”
“I got time today,” Usher said to the crowd. “Chi-town, can anyone tell me what Usher was doing at 7 o’clock?” The crowd responded in perfect harmony, singing his signature song back to him, and then begging for more as he suggestively caressed the microphone stand.
And Chicago ate it right up, especially the deliciously red cherries the fur-cloaked star consensually fed to his adoring fans who lined the floor alongside the U-shaped mainstage, nicknamed the G-spot.
“These are $1,500 cherries, just wanna tell you that,” Usher said, dipping in and out of the steamy adlibs that lace “Can U Handle It” from 2004’s Confessions. “Anybody want a cherry over here? Special delivery.”
His final destination was a simulated VIP section of an ATL strip club — including faux “Usher bucks” with his face on the bill — that was recreated at the back of the United Center floor. There, “The Real Housewives of Atlanta” personality Nene Leakes gave Usher a taste of his own cherries while Chicago Sky star forward Angel Reese — dressed as Poison Ivy — took a cherry from Usher’s dish and dangled it for someone else to indulge in. While in the VIP section, Usher made a drink in the bar and brought it back to the side of the mainstage, where he gave it, and a kiss, to his wife.
“This is the final night here in Chicago, and we just want to have a real good time with you,” Usher said at the Oct. 31 show just before performing “Throwback” from Confessions. He spent three nights in the city, and leaned into the spirit of Halloween at times by performing in both a Freddy Kreuger and a Dead Presidents-informed costume.
Usher’s show works because of the nostalgia it conjures. His robust catalog was accompanied by an on-screen projection that served as a time machine, with a computer-generated narrator using images and interview soundbites to walk us through Usher’s storied career. He sang all his hits, from 1997’s “You Make Me Wanna” to 2024’s “Good Good,” bookended by moments as a young singer in the early 90s to today, as a father of four. The concert’s storyline put Usher in conversation with three versions of his younger self. This projection also included visuals from civil and human rights victories, and of Vice President Kamala Harris, whom the singer has supported in an October presidential campaign rally.
“I feel like a lot of my life, I was running from something, but repeating the same pattern over and over again,” Usher said as he addressed the toddler, teenaged and 20-something versions of himself in a pre-recorded simulated Zoom call displayed on screen during the concert. “It might not always be exactly what you want, but you’re going through something to get to something.”
The something he’s been trying to get to is easily right in front of him now. For this Halloween night concert, he manifested a visual straight from the lyrics of 2004 fan-favorite “Superstar.” spotlights, big stage/fifty thousand fans screamin’ in a rage. When he sang the track, the left and right sides of the United Center competed for bragging rights on which side sang his opening falsetto the loudest; Usher tilted his mic to the crowd as they sang sweetly back to him.
He stays culturally relevant by leaning into Black culture when others lean out. Case in point: he never misses an opportunity to put on his roller skates – even if the kids these days don’t skate anymore. In a bedazzled black suit and roller skates, Usher performing his 2008 track “Love In This Club” felt even bigger than its multi-platinum status, especially in the city known for its original style of JB Skating. During this segment, the strobe lights and DJ mixes of skater anthems — such as Faith Evan’s “Love Like This” — evoked the spirit of being on the South Side at The Rink.
Following the success of his arguably classic Confessions album, there were times where Usher struggled to remain relevant in the fast-paced jungle of the Internet. For a few years there, single stream releases and TikTok dances were king compared to the carefully rolled-out, big-money aesthetics funded by labels and crystallized by greats like Michael Jackson. Usher has managed to combine the digital future with Jackson-inspired concert showmanship and he’s come out in 2024 as a legend.
None of that relevancy chatter in Chicago, where those Apple Music playlist-regarded “deep cuts” felt just as big as anthems like “U Don’t Have To Call” and “U Got It Bad.” Notably, the crowd went wild when he sang “Climax,” which everyone sang back to him in unison at the top of their lungs. It’s these deep cuts, formerly known as B sides, that are in constant rotation in a Black city like Chicago; these jams go platinum in our households.
“Are you sure you want to relive these memories?”
That’s the message that popped on screen at one point in the show. The answer was a resounding yes. Usher then, with the help of a special guest, wove together the past and present in a way that shows the historical thru-lines of R&B. Ron Isley, now 83, rose out of the stage seated on a throne, donning his famous sunglasses and holding a gold microphone. He came out singing “Contagious.”
Usher gave the floor to Isley, who put on a mini concert with Isley Brothers dusties such as “Between the Sheets, “Footsteps in the Dark” and “For the Love of You,” all iconic songs that are sampled heavily by the culture. Then, Usher brought out Chicago’s own BJ the Chicago Kid, who has sung background for him. BJ performed his 2015 track “Church.”
Chicago stepped and danced and happily relived those memories. R&B isn’t dead, and Usher’s “Past Present Future” show is proof. He is still the King of R&B.
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