One of the biggest stars in music, Usher, brought a night of engaging entertainment to the Nation's Capital on Wednesday, August 22nd, for the second night of his "Past Present Future tour." The R&B icon hadn't performed in the DMV since his 2014 "UR Experience Tour," so naturally, the venue was packed.
While the show ticket stated an 8:00 p.m. start, Usher didn't take the stage until around 9:10. A DJ entertained the crowd while we waited, and as the lights dimmed, the audience was treated to a video of a young Usher and an AI voice explaining the concept of the show. Initially, there were technical difficulties, and the video played twice, but once things were sorted out, the party began!
"Coming Home" from the singer's newest album appropriately opened up the show and set up a transition into "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)." "Big, "one of the lesser songs on his newest album, was then performed, and even live, the song still didn't win me over. Thankfully, Usher took it back to the early days, using a lifelike AI version of himself to perform "Call Me a Mack" with snippets of "Think of You" and "Can U Get Wit It."
A timeline of his career continued throughout the night, highlighting all the hits you want to hear. Two of the early surprises of the night were a performance of "Don't Waste My Time" with the singer on roller skaters and the sensual ballad "Tell Me" from his "Hard II Love" album. Usher also found time to dip into his features catalog, performing "New Flame" and "Party.
As my avid readers know, I'm a fan of ballads, so naturally, that was a highlight for me. Of course, the classics "Nice & Slow," "U Got It Bad," "Burn," and "Confessions Part II" were performed, but it was the performance of "Seduction" that won the night for me. Kudos to Usher for bringing out Raheem DeVaughn to perform "You." Additional guests included Sugar Bear, who performed "Da Butt," and Wale, who joined Ush to perform their duet "Matrimony."
While it was a hell of a night, there were a few hiccups. The energy dropped for some of the melanin fans in the crowd when Mr. Raymond went into his EDM bag, and that was the only portion of the show where I sat down. In addition, some of the newer material, such as "Ruin" and "Peace Sign" from the abysmal "A" album, didn't connect with the audience either. I was a fan of the new album, so he could've also thrown in "I Am The Party," "I Love U," or "Risk It All," which would've gone over better.
The night ended with a one-two punch of "Good Good" and "Yeah!" With pristine choreography, smooth vocals, and a sharp band, Usher: Past Present Future was a great night out and validated his position as one of R&B's best live performers.
Final Grade: A-
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