Usher promised us special guests during the Super Bowl halftime show and, true to his word, there were plenty. The splashy performance included an appearance by Alicia Keys who made her appearance at a piano for a rendition of her hit If I Ain’t Got You (wearing a bedazzled red catsuit!) From there, she joined Usher in a sexy duet of My Boo.
Other Super Bowl halftime show guests included rapper Jermaine Dupri (in some very on-trend white scrunchy socks), R&B star and guitarist H.E.R., and — of course — Ludacris and Lil Jon, who came out to join Usher on their 2004 mega-hit Yeah!
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Some fans were disappointed that Justin Bieber didn't make a cameo, given their long history, but he choose to hang in the stands with wife Hailey.
The show it self was predictably a sight to behold, complete with jeweled thrones, armies of backup dancers, costume changes, roller skates, and — at one point — a very shirtless Usher gyrating like only Usher can.
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Usher confirmed there would be special guests joining him onstage during his Super Bowl halftime show in the lead-up to the event. Naturally, fans immediately began speculating about who the artists might be.
The public didn’t have to wait very long for answers, though. Sources close to the production previously confirmed to TMZ that Alicia Keys was spotted rehearsing with Usher inside Allegiant Stadium on Thursday.
On Saturday, February 10, some of the world's biggest stars mingled at Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin's hyper-exclusive Super Bowl Party at Marquee Day Club in Las Vegas, including Khloe Kardashian, La La Anthony, Kim Kardashian, Odell Beckham Jr., and Bieber – who came with wife Hailey. Bieber's presence further sparked speculation that the singer could join Usher on stage during the half time show given their long history working together under manager Scooter Braun, not to mention Usher is largely credited with helping get a young Bieber's career off the ground. Sadly, that was not to be the case.
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As for the setlist, in an interview with Entertainment Tonight,Usher said he believed it would be foolish not to perform his 2004 hit single Yeah! with the featured artists who helped make it: Ludacris and Lil Jon, both of whom are local to Las Vegas. Usher himself has been living in Vegas lately following the success of his Park MGM residency.
“I would be a fool to not play Yeah!” Usher said. “Let’s just start there. It would be foolish to make it all the way to Las Vegas — Jon is here, Luda’s here — and not play Yeah!”
During a press conference with Apple Music, Usher confessed it was “a challenge to squeeze 30 years [of music] into 13 minutes.” He also shed light on his thought process in planning the show.
“I was very mindful of my past, celebrating my present — which is here in Las Vegas — and thinking about where we’re headed in the future,” he said. “That was really the idea.”
This article originally appeared on GLAMOUR US.
