How will history view Usher? On one hand, he’s the obvious heir to Michael Jackson’s stately position as the King of R&B pop, with a lengthy list of awards and platinum sales to back up his claim to the throne. On the other, he is directly responsible for launching the career of Justin Bieber, which in certain nations is justifiably regarded as a war crime.
Last night at Vancouver’s Rogers Arena failed to provide definitive answers, other than confirmation that Usher remains America’s most ardent ladies man.
IN PICTURES: Usher brings soulful, sexy sounds to Rogers Arena
Surprisingly, the screams didn’t arrive instantly, the star of the night emerging through a cloud of dry ice and instantly evoking Michael Jackson’s ghost with clean, crisp dance moves to accompany “My Way.” Choosing to dazzle rather than seduce, Usher was surrounded by his athletic troupe of dancers for “OMG,” half of whom stuck around for the wailing guitar solo and pyro flames of “Love In This Club.” The new hardest working man in show business? Three songs in and sweat was already visibly dripping from Usher’s chin.
The party vibe decelerated into seduction mode with the triple-header of slow jams “Lil’ Freak,” “Nice and Slow” and “U Remind Me,” before exploding into life again with the Motown-inspired, expertly choreographed set piece “Twisted.”
Screams started filtering towards the stage as Usher returned to centre stage in a crisp white shirt for “Climax,” welcomed to his position atop an overtly phallic column by backing vocal harmonies creamy enough to serve with pie.
Despite the show’s rigorous production requirements, Usher was still loose and confident enough to go off script when necessary. When a trip back to the very start of the Usher back catalogue for “my Day One fans” revealed that there weren’t quite enough day one fans to sing the words of “Hey Daddy” back at the stage at volume, he simply had his DJ flick through the early hits until they found tunes that people knew. No drama. No ego. Just easy-going professionalism and a willingness to keep the party rolling.
That party was in full swing by the time “Burn” arrived, while Usher’s falsetto on “There Goes My Baby” delivered the finest singing on a night not short of vocal highlights.
Appearing behind a golden drum kit emerging from the stage was a neat move, especially as Usher gave him the opportunity to stop, rip off his tank top and unveil his famous torso as an intro to “Good Kisser.” Cue the loudest scream of the night, equalled in volume by a roar as he returned, after introducing his spectacular dance team, in a beaver hat and a Canucks jersey.
“U Don’t Have To Call” and “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love” provided the ideal introduction to the one-note bass thump of inevitable set-closer “Yeah.”
Finishing the night with party pop rather than Usher’s patented bedroom R&B did little to alleviate the sense that Rogers Arena had indeed been treated to a night of genuine musical romance. Expect delivery rooms across the Lower Mainland to be busier than normal in exactly nine months’ time.
