Super Bowl halftime show 2024: Everything to know about Usher's concert and how to watch
In announcing that Usher had agreed to headline the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, the NFL proclaimed the singer “one of the most influential artists of a generation.”
NFL Head of Music Seth Dudowsky promised “another Halftime Show for the history books," and Jay-Z called Usher “the ultimate artist and showman,” adding that “His remarkable journey has propelled him to one of the grandest stages in the world. I can't wait to see the magic."
In that same announcement, Usher said it was “an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list,” adding, “I can't wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they've seen from me before.”
Here's what we know so far about what viewers can expect when Usher takes the world’s biggest stage in Paradise, Nevada.
How long is Usher’s halftime show?
Halftime shows tend to last from 12 to 14 minutes at the Super Bowl.
In an interview with the Associated Press, the singer said, “Don’t take the moments for granted because you only get 13 of them. The hardest part is trying to figure out how to squeeze it all in when you actually have a large catalog, or a lot of records people celebrate and love.”
Has Usher played the Super Bowl?
Yes, he descended from the ceiling to join Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am in 2011 in Arlington, Texas, to perform the single “OMG.”
Usher told the Associated Press he’s looking at that Super Bowl performance as a “cheat sheet,” explaining, “I got a chance to see a bit of what it felt like.”
What time is the Super Bowl on Sunday?
Super Bowl LVII will begin at 4:25 p.m. MST (3:35 p.m. Pacific, 6:25 p.m. Eastern) Sunday, Feb. 11, 2024.
How to watch the Super Bowl halftime show with Usher
You should probably check out the game while you're at it, but Usher's halftime show can be seen on CBS, Nickelodeon and Univision and streamed on Paramount+, the exclusive streamer for the Super Bowl.
Jim Nantz is expected to be the play-by-play announcer, while Tony Romo is expected as the analyst.
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Does Usher have new music to perform?
Funny you should ask.
The legend dropped his first new studio release in nearly eight years, “Coming Home,” two days before the Super Bowl.
Does Usher plan to follow his halftime show with a 2024 tour?
Funny you should ask.
Usher announced a tour in the week leading up to the Super Bowl with the general on sale starting at 10 a.m. Monday, Feb. 12, the morning after his performance.
Is Usher bringing special guests?
Usher will be bringing special guests to Vegas.
He shared his plans when he was presented with a Key to the City of Las Vegas in mid-October, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
“Without question, I am a man of collaborations, it’s part of the reason I have been as successful as I have been, both in creating music that the world sings, and also the moments that the world remembers,” he said. “I’m hoping that I can re-light the fire that all of it has come from, and maybe invite some of those people to join me in that incredible moment.”
He was not, however, naming names at that point.
“I can’t give too much, because I don’t want to blow it,” he said. “But I will say that that moment will not only represent me, but it will represent my legacy and the things that I’ve been a part of in collaboration. It will remind the world that when you do collaborate, something amazing does happen.”
Will Ludacris, Lil Jon and Alicia Keys join Usher at the Super Bowl?
On Friday, Feb. 9, TMZ reported that "sources close to the production" confirmed eyewitness accounts that Alicia Keys rehearsed with Usher inside Allegiant Stadium on Thursday, which means we may be seeing her join Usher on "My Boo," which spent six weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100.
His Apple Music commercial to promote the halftime show heavily featured "Yeah!," a track that features Ludacris and Lil Jon, and when Usher appeared on "Entertainment Tonight" recently he said he'd be a "fool" to not perform that hit from 2004.
"I would be a fool to not play 'Yeah!' let's just start there," he told ET. "It would be foolish to make it all the way to Las Vegas, Jon is here, Luda's here and not play 'Yeah!'"
So there's a chance you'll see those two pop up as well. Those are among his more successful collaborations, after all.
Will Usher have Justin Bieber, Jungkook or J Balvin at the Super Bowl?
TMZ has also reported that Usher has been talking to Justin Bieber as well, which means we could hear "Somebody to Love" on Sunday.
J Balvin and Jungkook of BTS have also been featured in Super Bowl Halftime Show trailers.
Other hit collabs include “Love in This Club” with Young Jeezy; “OMG” with will.i.am.; “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love” with Pitbull; “I Don’t Mind” with Juicy J; “Come Thru” with Summer Walker; “I Need a Girl (Part One)” with P. Diddy and Loon; “Lovers and Friends” with Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz; “Without You” with David Guetta; “New Flame” with Chris Brown and Rick Ross; “Body Language” with Kid Ink and Tinashe; “Party” with Chris Brown and Gucci Mane; and “Love in This Club Part II” with Beyonce and Lil Wayne.
Who was last year's Super Bowl halftime show?
Asked by E! News if she had any advice for her halftime show successor, Rihanna said, “Hell no, I can’t give Usher no advice. Usher is a natural, he’s a legend, he’s been doing this since he’s a teenager. He is made for that show.”
Usher replied to Rihanna's support on X (formerly known as Twitter), posting, “Real recognize real, Thank U Queen @rihanna.”
How did Usher prepare for the halftime show?
Usher told Entertainment Tonight, "In the process of getting ready for the Super Bowl, obviously I wanted to make certain that I was at my healthiest," he noted. "I stopped eating gluten. I did cut sugar, all alcohol, I haven't had a cigar or anything."
How much will Usher get paid to do the Super Bowl?
Halftime entertainers don’t get paid to play the Super Bowl.
They do make union scale. But that’s a tiny fraction of what entertainers make when they play Allegiant Stadium without a football game competing for their spotlight.
According to Local 586 of the American Federation of Musicians, the flat union scale to play a room the size of State Farm Stadium in Arizona would be $450 for “the leader,” which in this case would be Usher, and $400 a person for the side musicians.
What songs can we expect from Usher at the Super Bowl?
In an interview with Extra TV, Usher said, “You’re going to get hit records... I do want to play the songs that people obviously recognize and the ones that I celebrate. I’ve been able to laugh, I have been able to cry, I have been vulnerable, I’ve been telling and honest… I found really great ways to help us communicate better through my music and that celebration is inside this curation.”
Usher has sent nine hit singles to the top of Billboard’s Hot 100: “Nice & Slow" (1998), “U Remind Me” (2001), “U Got It Bad” (2001), “Yeah!” (2004), “Burn” (2004), “Confessions Part II” (2004), “My Boo” (2004), “Love In This Club” (2008) and “OMG” (2010).
Another song it would make sense to include in a Super Bowl halftime show is Usher’s multi-platinum 1997 breakthrough hit, “You Make Me Wanna….”
His most-streamed songs on Spotify, not counting features, are “Yeah!,” “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love,” “My Boo,” “I Don’t Mind,” “U Remind Me,” “OMG,” “U Got It Bad,” “Love In This Club,” “You Make Me Wanna…” and “Burn.”
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What to know about the team behind the Super Bowl Halftime Show
The Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show telecast will be produced by DPS with Roc Nation and Jesse Collins serving as executive producers and Hamish Hamilton serving as director.
Roc Nation also serves as the strategic entertainment advisor of the live performance.
Earlier this year, the Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show Starring Rihanna became the most-watched halftime performance of all time. The performance garnered five Creative Arts Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Variety Special (Live).
In 2022, Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Mary J. Blige and Kendrick Lamar garnered five Creative Arts Emmy nominations. The critically acclaimed performance won three Creative Arts Emmys, including Outstanding Variety Special (Live), a first ever for the show.
Where is Super Bowl 2024?
The Super Bowl is headed to Las Vegas in 2024, with two NFL teams facing off at Allegiant Stadium in what is technically considered Paradise, Nevada.
The stadium is located on about 62 acres of land west of Mandalay Bay at Russel Road and Hacienda Avenue, between Polaris Avenue and Dean Martin Drive, just west of Interstate 15.
The street address is 3333 Al Davis Way.
This is the first Super Bowl to be played in Nevada.
Super Bowl 2023 ticket prices
On Location has official Super Bowl tickets that are guaranteed by the NFL, which are included as part of packages with options like open bars, tailgate food and pre-game parties.
The most inexpensive ticket package still available at On Location is the Playmakers Club starting at $9,000. Other, price-upon-request luxury ticket packages are available through the site.
Tickets are also currently available via resale sites such as Vivid Seats and Seat Geek.
Reach the reporter at [email protected] or 602-444-4495. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @EdMasley.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Super Bowl halftime show 2024: How to watch Usher and special guests
