Plenty of R&B heartthrobs have come and gone in the nearly twenty years since Usher Raymond burst onto the R&B scene as a 13 year-old boy – some of them even pegged as “the next Usher.” But Friday night, the 31 year-old man showed a nearly sold-out crowd at Scottrade Center exactly why he has remained in his own category as an irreplaceable force to be reckoned with.
The St. Louis stop of the OMG Tour opened with heartthrob-in-training Miguel who presented an energetic mini-set featuring songs from his debut album (released Tuesday) “All I Want is U.”
Trey Songz, whose initial career success came during Usher’s downtime, returned to St. Louis for the third time this year as a part of OMG lineup. Though he seemed to have more oomph than his previous visits, Songz continued his one-dimensional performance streak. The only noteworthy element of the set was when he attempted to step outside of his R&B box with a rendition of Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody.”
And then there was Usher. From start to finish, he performed with precision and intention – as if he was using the show as a final argument to justify his ranking among other male R&B artists. Case closed.
Usher opened the show by literally falling from the sky and dancing from one side of the Scottrade on a floating platform until he reached center stage. He continued to use a bungee contraption, which allowed him dance sideways and upside down with choreography that seemed to defy gravity as he danced up, down and sideways on the contraption that carried him across.
By the end of Usher’s opening number, everything that had been done on stage before he arrived had more than likely been forgotten by the audience.
Not one element of his 90-minute show was left to chance. The scenic design and special effects (including CGI, pyrotechnics and fireworks) were breathtaking. The complex high-impact choreography was captivating. The band was a powerhouse.
The weakest link of the show was Usher’s vocals – which were still good, great if one factors in that he simultaneously sang while keeping pace with the physically demanding dance routines.
The only miss in the show came courtesy of an overly dramatic segment when he transition out of the song “You Remind Me.”
As the tour title suggested, he started and ended with music from his latest release “Raymond vs. Raymond” – including “Hot Totty,” “Little Freak,” and “Daddy’s Home,” closing the show with the tour title track. The album’s anchor single “Papers” was missing from the line up and the controversy of his divorce seemed to be a thing of the past. On this night it would about the good times.
As with much of the singles Usher has offered of late, some elements of the concert was for mature audiences only and included sexually suggestive scenes. A segment for the song “Trading Places” featuring a woman invited on stage to “get comfortable” had a more than few fans blushing.
The show was geared to the newest group of Usher fans, but he still but managed to sprinkle in plenty of classics during the course of the show.
“Yeah,” “Let it Burn,” “Bad Girls,” “YouDon’t Have to Call,” and “You Make Me Wanna” were among them.
Usher also worked a brief, strictly dance tribute to Michael Jackson. He donned a pair of jewel encrusted dance shoes – reminiscent of the socks and glove that became Jackson’s trademark – specifically for the routine and removed the shoes once it had ended.
Then it was back to the business of the Usher brand.
Even the most subtle selections, such as “There Goes My Baby,” and his throwback medley of Usher favorites (which included “Confessions,” “My Boo,” “I Need a Girl,” and “Lovers or Friends”) had a wow factor about them and kept the audiences attention.
On this night there would be no rebuttal from any of the opening entertainment (and probably not from any of his contemporaries in the near future).
Through the OMG tour, he is making it plain. It was and continues to be “Usher…and everybody else” among the male R&B performers who – ala Michael Jackson – infuse pop and dance into their mix.
