A Night of Seduction!: Round 1
Last night, I got to see Usher for the second time in two years (and a first with his co-headliner, Chris Brown) and it was a blast! So, let's just get this out of the way: they started late, which meant certain songs were cut in order to avoid the 11 PM curfew (they still went over it by 3 minutes). We didn't get My Boo from Usher, Chris didn't do No Guidance Tank and Mario didn't perform their solo sets (bummer that we got Eric Bellinger instead, lol!) and the headliners didn't really get to do as much ad libbing as they would have liked. The show went by FAST! However, it was still fun with lots of HITS, nostalgia, SEX, vocals and choreography! Speaking of dancing, Usher and Chris can both dance their asses off and are consumate performers. Where Chris is pure unbridled athleticism and energy, Usher is smoother and more precise. Both relied on a backtrack (Chris moreso) but when they really sang into their mics to ad lib, riff and run, you heard their vocal prowess. Since this isn't his thread, I won't talk too much about his show but Chris was impressive live. I know y'all have seen the Take You Down videos... yeah, he really GOES THERE, lmao! He damn near fucks them on stage!
When I last saw Usher in 2024, I was in the pit and completely starstruck. The man I had idolized and lusted over for well over a decade was right in front of me in all 5'8" of his chocolayely musculature. I had my phone up nearly that entire time, which was a mistake. Last night, I decided to be more in the moment and take him in because I was also watching from a screen. I have to say, the way the show is FILMED for the big screen is incredible. It's some HIGH LEVEL shit they have going on over there. I TRULY hope they release this SOMEHOW because the videos you see online don't do that big screen film any justice. It was like watching a live concert special.
As expected, Usher began his set in a black fur coat and later, a bomber jacket, without a shirt worn inside, which revealed his impossibly toned torso (more on this later). This was just the first tease. My favorite set is the second one where he's in the three-piece suit, fedora, spectator shoes and splats. I feel like that is the most "him" A cross between a smooth R&B crooner with Hip-Hop leanings and very much inspired by classic entertainers of the past like Sammy Davis Jr., Michael Jackson, James Brown and his godfather, Ben Vereen. He got the best response with Burn, where he truly showed off his vocals and theatricality. The moment he smashed that glass bottle, lit a joint and "set the Raymond club on fire", the crowd went wild. But NOTHING prepared them for when he took his buttown shirt off completely! I heard one lady scream, "I NEED THAT!"
The Seduction pullup was HOT. AS. FUCK. In fact, Usher did like 10 pullups for us because the response was so loud. He lapped that applause up and gave the people what they want! Not to mention, he was singing live and doing body rolls at the same time. Usher is also noticably trimmer on this tour compared to the past. The man is RIPPED and he looks VERY young in person. Seriously, his face is adorable. In his Architectural Digest cover story, he revealed he underwent knee surgery last year. He must've worked really hard to build his physicality back up because he moved much faster on this tour compared to the last time I saw him. Usher has changed his set to no longer include the bedroomm scene with a fan, and you know what, I respect it. Did I miss seeing his shirtless body for an extra scene? Yes, but after #that debacle, I think it's okay that he took it out.
The last set was his ballad section of Climax, U Got It Bad and Confessions and this was where you really SEE him. I was locked in for this one and I found it so impressive how he is able to take himself to the place he was when he recorded some of these songs (some of which are 25 years old) and still deliver the same emotional connection to them. The crown moment at the end was a highlight and I think it represented something deeper. At the beginning of the set, Usher is perched on his U adorned throne in full on royal regalia: white fur coat, black satin shirt, dress pants and a glittering sash. By the end of it, he's glistening with sweat as he placed the crown atop his head again. It creates a visual narrative of labor, achievement and legacy over the span of 30 years. And I know you are waiting for me to say it, YES, his pecs and nipples looked DELICIOUS on the big screen. Each time he flashed his abs, I was in disbelief over his age. He may be more toned but the muscles are popping!
I had a fun time and will be going again tonight.
![IMG_4346.jpeg]( "IMG_4346.jpeg")
![IMG_4352.jpeg]( "IMG_4352.jpeg")
Last night, I got to see Usher for the second time in two years (and a first with his co-headliner, Chris Brown) and it was a blast! So, let's just get this out of the way: they started late, which meant certain songs were cut in order to avoid the 11 PM curfew (they still went over it by 3 minutes). We didn't get My Boo from Usher, Chris didn't do No Guidance Tank and Mario didn't perform their solo sets (bummer that we got Eric Bellinger instead, lol!) and the headliners didn't really get to do as much ad libbing as they would have liked. The show went by FAST! However, it was still fun with lots of HITS, nostalgia, SEX, vocals and choreography! Speaking of dancing, Usher and Chris can both dance their asses off and are consumate performers. Where Chris is pure unbridled athleticism and energy, Usher is smoother and more precise. Both relied on a backtrack (Chris moreso) but when they really sang into their mics to ad lib, riff and run, you heard their vocal prowess. Since this isn't his thread, I won't talk too much about his show but Chris was impressive live. I know y'all have seen the Take You Down videos... yeah, he really GOES THERE, lmao! He damn near fucks them on stage!
When I last saw Usher in 2024, I was in the pit and completely starstruck. The man I had idolized and lusted over for well over a decade was right in front of me in all 5'8" of his chocolayely musculature. I had my phone up nearly that entire time, which was a mistake. Last night, I decided to be more in the moment and take him in because I was also watching from a screen. I have to say, the way the show is FILMED for the big screen is incredible. It's some HIGH LEVEL shit they have going on over there. I TRULY hope they release this SOMEHOW because the videos you see online don't do that big screen film any justice. It was like watching a live concert special.
As expected, Usher began his set in a black fur coat and later, a bomber jacket, without a shirt worn inside, which revealed his impossibly toned torso (more on this later). This was just the first tease. My favorite set is the second one where he's in the three-piece suit, fedora, spectator shoes and splats. I feel like that is the most "him" A cross between a smooth R&B crooner with Hip-Hop leanings and very much inspired by classic entertainers of the past like Sammy Davis Jr., Michael Jackson, James Brown and his godfather, Ben Vereen. He got the best response with Burn, where he truly showed off his vocals and theatricality. The moment he smashed that glass bottle, lit a joint and "set the Raymond club on fire", the crowd went wild. But NOTHING prepared them for when he took his buttown shirt off completely! I heard one lady scream, "I NEED THAT!"
The Seduction pullup was HOT. AS. FUCK. In fact, Usher did like 10 pullups for us because the response was so loud. He lapped that applause up and gave the people what they want! Not to mention, he was singing live and doing body rolls at the same time. Usher is also noticably trimmer on this tour compared to the past. The man is RIPPED and he looks VERY young in person. Seriously, his face is adorable. In his Architectural Digest cover story, he revealed he underwent knee surgery last year. He must've worked really hard to build his physicality back up because he moved much faster on this tour compared to the last time I saw him. Usher has changed his set to no longer include the bedroomm scene with a fan, and you know what, I respect it. Did I miss seeing his shirtless body for an extra scene? Yes, but after #that debacle, I think it's okay that he took it out.
The last set was his ballad section of Climax, U Got It Bad and Confessions and this was where you really SEE him. I was locked in for this one and I found it so impressive how he is able to take himself to the place he was when he recorded some of these songs (some of which are 25 years old) and still deliver the same emotional connection to them. The crown moment at the end was a highlight and I think it represented something deeper. At the beginning of the set, Usher is perched on his U adorned throne in full on royal regalia: white fur coat, black satin shirt, dress pants and a glittering sash. By the end of it, he's glistening with sweat as he placed the crown atop his head again. It creates a visual narrative of labor, achievement and legacy over the span of 30 years. And I know you are waiting for me to say it, YES, his pecs and nipples looked DELICIOUS on the big screen. Each time he flashed his abs, I was in disbelief over his age. He may be more toned but the muscles are popping!
I had a fun time and will be going again tonight.
