2024’s Super Bowl broke records and left impressions. According to the Associated Press, 123.4 million people watched the Super Bowl. That’s the highest number of viewers since the moon landing. Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s romance drew a number of unlikely fans viewers to the screens this year. Beyonce’s album announcement and the regular celebrity sightings made this year’s Super Bowl extra special.
Let’s talk about the halftime show. While I felt a little lost the entire time, I thoroughly enjoyed Usher’s performance. My favorite parts included:
The Dancing
If you’re going to say one thing about Usher, it should be that the man can dance. He was moving his feet non-stop (to the point where he was drenched with sweat by the end…but who can blame the man when he gave us 13 songs in 13 minutes). He even danced while roller skating, a feat that no one saw coming on their Super Bowl bingo card of 2024.
The Guest Stars
From Alicia Keys, to H.E.R. to will.i.am and Ludacris, Usher did not disappoint when it came to sharing the stage with iconic artists he’s worked with in the past. Each performer was iconic in their own right and brought something special to the performance. H.E.R. of course shredded the guitar and Alicia Keys, you guessed it, played the keys and sang their iconic duet “My Boo.” However, I will say he left his fans waiting when he did not bring out Justin Bieber to recreate their most iconic performance together from the 53rd Grammys.
What left me slightly lost:
The Theme?
There’s a question mark there because I am still unsure what the theme is or if there even was one. I’m unsure if it was just because I hadn’t been following any of the buzz or lead-up for this performance, but the theme was lost on me. It felt chaotic and overwhelming at times. For the first few songs, I was just trying to figure out what was going on, which I think is not ideal for a performance that is supposed to be less than 15 minutes long. At one point I was completely caught off guard by two dancers on stilts. It felt rushed and overcrowded.
My Boo: My Bad
I get that the song is a love song, but Usher and Alicia Keys flirting while singing made me a little uncomfortable. Of course, it’s all for the show, but knowing Alicia Keys is happily married with two kids just detracts from the performance and makes it weird. To add to the chaos and the weirdness of this song, Usher married Jennifer Goicoechea after the show. All is to say they’re both taken and maybe it’s just weird to watch two iconic performers who are both happily in a relationship and their forties flirt onstage.
Overall, Usher brought it all. He gave us the 2000s R&B hip-hop walk down memory lane we all wanted. If anyone had doubts about this man’s ability as a performer or his legacy in the music industry, those can safely be put to rest. Sure, there might have been too much going on, but I could not look away from the man’s incredible dancing and great vocal performance.