Online Review: Usher @ IndigO2
Artist:
Usher
Online Review: Usher @ IndigO2
Usher @ IndigO2
3.5/5
Words by Emmanuel Ezugwu
We’ve waited four years for a follow up album so when Usher came on stage 45 minutes after he was scheduled, dressed in all black, and quickly going into ‘This Ain’t Sex’, his absence had made the crowd - who had paid £50 a ticket - grow even fonder. The slickly produced, love making track, taken from his new album ‘Here I Stand’ benefited from the live percussions provided by a full and distinctly middle aging band reinforcing Ushers new found maturity. And in a changing musical landscape, Usher’s gig couldn’t have been more timely.
His time-off from the mic has seen a string of pretenders attempt to steal his self earned King of RnB crown while his re-emergence has come at a period in which music is not selling anymore. To put it in perspective, when ‘Confessions’ was released in the US in 2004, it sold an astronomical 1,096,000 in its first week. By comparison, the biggest first week sales in the US this year is Mariah Carey’s ‘E=MC2’ which sold a noticeably slight 463,000 copies.
If there was any anxiety over whether there would still be a place for Usher in this weary market it was shared not least by Sony Ericsson who had put together the show. The partnership between the global phone company and global superstar could be seen as yet another indication of the state of things to come following the eye-watering multi-million pound deals struck by Jay Z and Madonna with Live Nation earlier this year.
In terms of music though, Usher was keen to let the audience know that it was business as usual and his string of old hits like ‘My Way‘, ‘U Make Me Wanna‘, U Don’t Have To Call’ and ‘U Remind Me’ were carried of with the exact same choreography from when he first performed them. The only dip in the 29 year-olds actual performance came during whats going to be his second single from the new album. ‘Moving Mountains’ was given an almost caricatured over-the-topness‘ making it embarrassingly obvious that he was lip syncing.
From our balcony seats, the grandness of the show was somewhat demystified as his podgy dancers could be seen brushing up on choreography in the sides, and occasions where Usher was meant to disappear in a cloud of smoke, saw him instead crawling frantically on his belly. The enlightened view also allowed us to see Tameka, his wife - 9 years his senior - and thorn in the side of his fans and cause of many rumours (The most recent one being reported today is that they have split but this is most totally false). Though she did poke her head out from the curtains with alarming regularly it suggested more of her obvious admiration of Usher talents then to her controlling influence.
Ushers many years within the industry means that he’s also well versed in handling difficult moments which proved neccessary as the show was packed full of them. He dealt with hecklers, haters, a terrible DJ and when his ear piece got caught up while trying to remove his t-shirt with aplomb that not a lot of people could. Despite these distracting hindrances (reflected in the review score), Usher’s performance itself was symptomatic of an artist at ease with his talents and showed why he remains the undisputed King of RnB.
The appeal of the gig didn't lie in dizzying choreography or breathless melissma’s but in Usher's assured, purposeful and natural swagger. He confidently occupied a space in the middle of trying too hard and too little and showed why Chris Brown and Justin Timberlake still have a long way to go.
‘Here I Stand ‘ is out on Monday!
Online Review: Usher @ IndigO2
Usher @ IndigO2
3.5/5
Words by Emmanuel Ezugwu
We’ve waited four years for a follow up album so when Usher came on stage 45 minutes after he was scheduled, dressed in all black, and quickly going into ‘This Ain’t Sex’, his absence had made the crowd - who had paid £50 a ticket - grow even fonder. The slickly produced, love making track, taken from his new album ‘Here I Stand’ benefited from the live percussions provided by a full and distinctly middle aging band reinforcing Ushers new found maturity. And in a changing musical landscape, Usher’s gig couldn’t have been more timely.
His time-off from the mic has seen a string of pretenders attempt to steal his self earned King of RnB crown while his re-emergence has come at a period in which music is not selling anymore. To put it in perspective, when ‘Confessions’ was released in the US in 2004, it sold an astronomical 1,096,000 in its first week. By comparison, the biggest first week sales in the US this year is Mariah Carey’s ‘E=MC2’ which sold a noticeably slight 463,000 copies.
If there was any anxiety over whether there would still be a place for Usher in this weary market it was shared not least by Sony Ericsson who had put together the show. The partnership between the global phone company and global superstar could be seen as yet another indication of the state of things to come following the eye-watering multi-million pound deals struck by Jay Z and Madonna with Live Nation earlier this year.
In terms of music though, Usher was keen to let the audience know that it was business as usual and his string of old hits like ‘My Way‘, ‘U Make Me Wanna‘, U Don’t Have To Call’ and ‘U Remind Me’ were carried of with the exact same choreography from when he first performed them. The only dip in the 29 year-olds actual performance came during whats going to be his second single from the new album. ‘Moving Mountains’ was given an almost caricatured over-the-topness‘ making it embarrassingly obvious that he was lip syncing.
From our balcony seats, the grandness of the show was somewhat demystified as his podgy dancers could be seen brushing up on choreography in the sides, and occasions where Usher was meant to disappear in a cloud of smoke, saw him instead crawling frantically on his belly. The enlightened view also allowed us to see Tameka, his wife - 9 years his senior - and thorn in the side of his fans and cause of many rumours (The most recent one being reported today is that they have split but this is most totally false). Though she did poke her head out from the curtains with alarming regularly it suggested more of her obvious admiration of Usher talents then to her controlling influence.
Ushers many years within the industry means that he’s also well versed in handling difficult moments which proved neccessary as the show was packed full of them. He dealt with hecklers, haters, a terrible DJ and when his ear piece got caught up while trying to remove his t-shirt with aplomb that not a lot of people could. Despite these distracting hindrances (reflected in the review score), Usher’s performance itself was symptomatic of an artist at ease with his talents and showed why he remains the undisputed King of RnB.
The appeal of the gig didn't lie in dizzying choreography or breathless melissma’s but in Usher's assured, purposeful and natural swagger. He confidently occupied a space in the middle of trying too hard and too little and showed why Chris Brown and Justin Timberlake still have a long way to go.
‘Here I Stand ‘ is out on Monday!
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