Follow Multimedia Journalist Bonnie Jansen as she asks the patrons of Sweat Shop about their predictions for the Super Bowl, and Taylor Swift's involvement. Videography / Carson Bluck / Edit / Ben Dickens
It was announced in September that the Grammy winner would perform at one of America’s biggest sporting events of the year. Since the reveal, the star has teased what his performance at Allegiant Stadium wouldinclude, with many fans speculating it would see multiple collaborators on stage - and it appears they were right.
Moments before the performance officially began, Apple warned fans that it may cause “gyrating” and even “relationship issues”, but no one could quite prepare for how extravagant the show was about to be. As the spotlights came on, all eyes landed on the singer who was joined by a nearly 100-member marching band, countless dancers and showgirls.
Beginning his impressive set with his hit 2004 song Caught, the star immediately captivated the crowd with his smooth moves and quickly worked up a sweat as he continued with his mid-tempo throwbacks like Love in This Club before revealing his first A-list guest, Alicia Keys.
Playing If I Ain’t Got You on an eye-catching grand piano, the duo launched into a saucy duet of their 2004 top-charting hit My Boo and sharing a sweet embrace.
Alicia Keys and Usher perform onstage during the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show. Photo / Getty Images
Reclaiming the stage as his own, Usher had the crowd singing along to Confessions and Burn as he slowly began stripping off his clothes, revealing the results of his sugar- and alcohol-free diet in the lead-up to the show and then it was time for another guest.
Packing 14 hit songs into 12 solid minutes, the generous star gave his collaborators their time in the spotlight with Ludacris performing almost his entire verse on Yeah!, while Lil Jon also had his moment with Turn Down For What. Finally, H.E.R. came on stage to give an electrifying performance of U Got It Bad.
It was a very different performance from that of Rihanna last year, when the star put on a relatively low-key production.
H.E.R., Ludacris, Usher, Lil Jon, Jermaine Dupri and will.i.am perform onstage during the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show. Photo / Getty Images
Despite the months of rehearsals and planning that go into a Super Bowl halftime show, artists do not get paid for the gig. Instead, it’s understood the artists benefit from the intense exposure, with APreporting the game is expected to pull in over 115 million viewers.
Forbes reported that after her performance last year, Rihanna’s digital album sales climbed by 301 per cent, with digital song sales increasing by 390 per cent. It’s expected Usher will see similar numbers - a huge benefit to the star who just two days ago tactically released Coming Home, his first solo album in more than eight years.
The NFL, however, still has a hefty bill paying for the expenses of the halftime show production every year.
