Super Bowl LVIII halftime show review: Top moments from Usher’s performance

Carmen Vitali

NFC North Reporter

Peace up. Usher brought the house down.

Fans were treated to a little bit of Atlanta in Las Vegas during the halftime show of Super Bowl LVIII. One of the greatest R&B artists of all time took the stage on the Allegiant Stadium field to the familiar notes of “My Way” — before we saw Usher, resplendent in all white, belting out “Caught Up.”

The stage was a modest platform on the field itself as Usher was swallowed up by dozens of quintessentially Vegas dancers and performers while making his way on the field. There were sequins. There were feathers. There was Usher, leading them with his signature smooth moves making his way through his decades-long catalog.

He got the help of a live marching band for “Love in this Club,” revealing another LED light-up platform featuring a scarlet-clad Alicia Keys, who seamlessly transitioned into her hit, “If I Ain’t Got You.” Keys then got to her feet — revealing her sparkling red outfit was a jumpsuit — as she and Usher sang their hit, “My Boo” alongside one another.

Atlanta’s own Jermaine Dupri then appeared to lead the set into “Confessions,” which is arguably Usher’s most well-known song.

“At seven o’clock, on the dot…” you know the rest, as the camera panned out to a clock projected on the circular platform.

By the time Usher went a capella for “U Got it Bad,” the crowd could be heard singing along and eventually screaming as Usher stripped off his vest and white tank top.

H.E.R. then came out on guitar to lead an interlude into “Bad Girl” before Usher re-emerged on roller skates and a glitter motorcycle getup to pay homage to his early-2010’s era with “OMG” featuring Will.I.Am.

Of course, no Usher set could be complete without Lil’ Jon, who came through the crowd with “Turn Down for What,” before making his way to the platform to (of course) join Usher for, “Yeah!”

The biggest question of the night was whether Ludacris was going to come out for his famous verse on the song. Not only did Ludacris appear — in a coordinated blue-and-black leather fit — but was sporting his early-2000’s afro to boot.

Vegas virtually manifested into Atlanta, with Usher and all his guests finishing out the song as Usher chanted: “I took the world to the A.”

Carmen Vitali covers the NFC North for FOX Sports. Carmen had previous stops with The Draft Network and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. She spent six seasons with the Bucs, including 2020, which added the title of Super Bowl Champion (and boat-parade participant) to her résumé. You can follow Carmen on Twitter at @CarmieV.

[Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.]

FOLLOW Follow your favorites to personalize your FOX Sports experience