Swarovski, supermodels and songs shine at the concert in the capital.
The opening notes to American superstar Usher’s Bad Girl have filled The O2 in London. The British supermodel Naomi Campbell has made a surprise appearance. Suddenly, the stadium fills with phone lights, the stage becomes her runway, and the 20,000-strong audience is mesmerised by her every step and his every word. Welcome to the Usher: Past, Present and Future tour.
FACT secured tickets to Usher’s sold-out, 10-night residency in London. The show comes after 62 nights in the USA – you wouldn’t be able to tell, however, since his energy and enthusiasm were limitless. The upcoming dates also include 19 April at Etihad Park, Abu Dhabi, which has been organised by Club Social. He was chatty and charismatic, and even hand-fed cherries to the VIP section. While he is famous for his slick Michael Jackson-like dance routines, his vocals were flawless.
Usher: Past, Present and Future tour in London takes you on a journey of his 30-year career, and a peek into his future self. The theme is supported by an AI robot Celeste, which tells Usher’s story through glitchy videos from his childhood to the present day. The creativity shone through and offered an innovative change to the usual format in concerts. If you have no knowledge about the singer, the story arc was easy enough to follow.
Usher opened with the title track from his latest album, Coming Home. He swiftly moved on to BIG and Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home), all while wearing a Swarovski crystal-embellished suit and matching floor-length coat. His personality shone through the sparkles, as he sang through a smile and effortlessly hit his falsetto notes.
Another costume change later led us into his debut single, You Make Me Wanna which was released when he was only 18 years old. The set featured four male backup dancers impeccably dressed and perfectly in sync, performing a risky routine on chairs. The audience sang along to every word, and the R&B classic was given a brass band makeover.
Don’t Waste My Time showcased immaculate choreography on rollerblades. Usher showed some love to the country, and wore a Union Jack double-denim outfit by London-based designer, Mowalola. The dancers floated across the stage on skates, backflipping and breakdancing in tandem, all timed to his smooth vocals.
The well-loved club anthems Yeah!, OMG and DJ Got Us Fallin In Love felt like one huge house party. The audience of all ages were on their feet and enthusiastically dancing. With the slower anthems, he didn’t lose the audience’s attention, as people sang and swayed altogether. London, got it bad.
In the final song Without You, he addressed the crowd directly. He shared: “Remember this moment right here. We sparkle and we shine a light, in the darkest of moments. I would not be able to do this here without you.” Ending with a ballad was a wise choice, as it displayed his strength and versatility as a vocalist, and showed that he really can do it all.
GO: Visit www.theo2.co.uk for more information.