Usher Makes Love In This Club at the Super Bowl Halftime Show

Usher came to the Super Bowl to celebrate nearly 30 years of love at this club, and that's exactly what he did—turning Allegiant Stadium in Vegas into his own personal lair of seduction. His Super Bowl halftime show was a mouthwatering tribute to millennial pop glitz, with a slew of hits from the 2000s and guest stars lining up, from Alicia Keys to Ludacris to Will.I.Am to Lil Jon stealing the show. Usher tagged the show on the 20th anniversary of his classic Confessions, without returning to his '90s bangers like “You Make Me Wanna…” He didn't fall for thrills or surprises or musical curveballs. Just a lot of love and a lot of clubbing.

Justin Bieber, despite all the rumors, didn't show up and Taylor Swift didn't come in for a duet on “Lil Freak.” Ush didn't follow the DGAF rebuke that made Rihanna such a blast last year, or the culturally ambitious story of Dr. Dre with Snoop, Kendrick, Mary J. Blige and Eminem kneeling. No surprise guests, no ambitious moves or creative twists—just Usher at his slickest, in his role as the quintessential Vegas entertainer of our time.

Usher said his goal was to bring his Atlanta flavor to Vegas, where he did a 100-show residency last year. “I was able to bring a lot of Atlanta and the melting pot that it is, musically and culturally, to Las Vegas,” he said last week. “It wasn't easy to do, but I turned Vegas into Atlanta. I took the V and turned it upside down.” He got there tonight, ending the show with the chant, “I took the world to A!”

Usher took the stage after a warning that his performance was Rated U: “May cause singing, dancing, sweating, gyrations, possible relationship problems.” But he also gave an emotional shout out to his mother early on. “God answers prayers!” Ush was taken aback. “They said I wouldn't make it. They said I wouldn't be here today. But I am. Hey mom, we made it. Now this, this is for you!” Then he did “Love In This Club” — okay, it's his show, he can dedicate any song he wants to his mom. Usher made it a career-spanning set, occasionally shedding clothes from his all-white ensemble but always donning his Michael Jackson-like glittery glove.

He got a lot of help from his friends. Alicia Keys, who looked and sounded super hot in her red jumpsuit with a red piano to match, joined in for a duet on “My Boo,” as well as some steamy eye contact that made it an affectionate duet. (She also opened with a moving rendition of “If I Ain't Got You,” with a crack in her voice on the first line — “some people want it all” — to signal that Alicia was definitely singing live.) Jermaine Dupri proclaimed, “It's rare to find people like us! Since we are here we are celebrating its 20th anniversary Confessions I need everyone to put one hand in the air!” HER absolutely destroyed, in the amazingly long guitar-hero interlude for “U Got It Bad” and “Bad Girl,” asking, “Where are all my bad girls at?” She rocked her naughty solo, smiling in her black leather space suit.

Will.I.Am joined for “OMG”—an ominous turn of events, bringing back bad memories for anyone who witnessed the Black Eyed Peas' 2011 Super Bowl Halftime Show debacle, easily the worst ever, with Usher had a brief guest appearance, as well as a Slash and Fergie duet on “I've Had The Time of My Life”. Surprisingly, Usher revealed last week that the Black Eyed Peas' halftime show was his “cheat sheet” template for how to do it, though thankfully he didn't show up. For “OMG,” Ush livened it up with rollerblades to skate away with his dancers.

But the halftime show really took off with its most obvious and inevitable moment, the “Yes!” – especially when Lil Jon appeared to shout the four most fatal words to the climactic story: “Reject for what!” Lil Jon needed an energy boost, with Ludacris joining in to shoot “Yeah!” in a roller-boogie skater-boi crunkfest from the windows to the walls. The almost teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles-robot-blue superheroes were also a nice touch. Usher wasn't aiming too high tonight with this show, but he didn't have to – just Usher doing what he does best and blasting his legend with his most radiant confidence.

It was a musical highlight in a Super Bowl that had a few of those. Beyoncé did a commercial teasing new music (she was also in a box with Jay-Z and…Jack Dorsey?) The camera couldn't stay away from Taylor Swift in her box with Lana Del Rey and Blake Lively. Mark Wahlberg, sans his Funky Bunch, did a commercial for Lent (“Stay Prayed”, yeeeesh), which would be the most absurd moment in a Super Bowl where RFK Jr. stayed away. But the half belonged to Usher.

Set list:

“Caught up”

“No need to call”

“Superstar”

“Love In This Club”

“If I Don't Have You”

“My Darling”

“Confessions Pt II”

“Nice & Slow”

“Burn”

“You got it wrong”

“OH MY GOD”

“Reject for what”

“Yes