When? usher He felt right at home as he took the Barclays Center stage Friday night for the first of his four sold-out shows at the Brooklyn Arena. past present future travel,
The R&B superstar — wearing everything from his sequined coat to his glasses in black — started off with “Coming Home,” the title track from His latest albumwhich he dropped two days ago Super Bowl halftime show highlights in February. He then moved seamlessly into “Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home),” his hit single from 2010's “Raymond v. Raymond.”
It wasn't Atlanta, his hometown, where the 45-year-old singer began his career as a teenager three decades ago. Nor was it Las Vegas, where Her “My Way” Residence It was the hottest ticket in town from 2022 to 2023.
Still, there was a feeling of homecoming for Usher Raymond IV — as if Brooklyn was his home, and Barclays Center was his home.
And there was a lot of love in the area for the artist many in the audience grew up with — from 1997's “You Make Me Wanna…” and 2001's “You Remind Me” to 2004's “Yeah!” and 2008's “Yeah!” “love in this Club.”
Thirty years after releasing their self-titled debut on August 30, 1994, it was a nostalgic celebration of their iconic career, bringing the past into the present with the kind of old-school showmanship that never goes out of fashion.
While Usher showed off his great footwork — even while roller skating — on fast-paced numbers that rocked the party, he also kept the mostly female crowd entertained with slower jams such as “Stop” and “Don’t Worry.” “Nice and slow,” “You Got It Bad,” “Burn” and “Confessions Part II.”
Whether he was putting his hands down his pants, prancing around on stage or taking off his shirt and pouring a bottle of water over his body, he was a master of soul-baring in the tradition of R&B greats like Marvin Gaye, Teddy Pendergrass and Prince.
After taking it back to the club with EDM crossover moves “Oh God,” During “DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love” and “Without You”, Usher wore a red fur coat and went into the audience to sing “There Goes My Baby”, bringing some of the intimacy of his Vegas residency to the arena.
He sang songs with actress Taraji P. Henson, after which singer Victoria Monét — with whom Usher stars on the new single “SOS (Sex On Sight)” — and rapper Yung Miami also joined in the fun, which ended at a makeshift strip club.
Usher was then joined on stage by rappers Fat Joe and Ja Rule, who brought a New York hip-hop energy to the party.
But by the time he finished saying “Yes!”, there was no doubt that this night, this room, this city belonged to Usher.