Usher delivered a high-energy Super Bowl halftime show in Las Vegas on Sunday that featured surprise appearances by some of his most famous collaborators as the R&B star rolled through a parade of his hits.
The stadium was packed with huge names from the world of music, including Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift, who was at the game to cheer on her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
Sitting at a red piano, Alicia Keys was the first to be revealed on stage as she and Usher reunited to perform their 2004 duet My Boo.
Guitar virtuoso H.E.R. was up next, taking the stage to tear through a blistering solo as Usher danced along. Will.i.am, Lil Jon and Ludacris helped close out the intermission show with an energetic rendition of Usher’s biggest hit, Yeah!
Despite all of the extra star power, Usher was always at the centre of the action as he sang, danced, tore off his shirt and roller-skated on a glowing stage at the stadium near the Las Vegas Strip.
“I love you,” he told the appreciative crowd on hand to see the San Francisco 49ers take on the Chiefs in the NFL’s title game.
The halftime show, which is typically the most watched musical performance of the year, is produced by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation label and sponsored by Apple Music.
Usher has sold more than 80 million records worldwide and brought home eight Grammy awards. His ninth album, Coming Home, was released on Friday. He recently ended a popular Las Vegas residency, and has a North American tour kicking off in August.
Taylor Swift’s cameo
The 49ers were leading the Chiefs 10-3 at halftime, but quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw a three-yard touchdown pass to Mecole Hardman in overtime as Kansas City rallied to beat San Francisco 25-22 to becoming the first repeat Super Bowl champs in 19 years.
Before kickoff, Taylor Swift was spotted speaking with Philadelphia Eagles star Jason Kelce and later NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in a private box at Allegiant Stadium.
Swift completed her epic trip from the Tokyo Dome to Allegiant Stadium for the Super Bowl on Sunday, walking through security along with friends Blake Lively, rapper Ice Spice and her mom, Andrea Swift, to watch the game.
The 14-time Grammy winner, who has been dating Travis Kelce since the first few weeks of the NFL season, flew across nine time zones and the international dateline from her Eras tour to arrive about two hours before kickoff.
