Usher saved the best for last during the Los Angeles leg of his Past Present Future tour. On the fourth and final night of his stint at the brand new Intuit Dome in Inglewood, the R&B superstar treated the sold-out crowd to a silly skit with comedian Kevin Hart, features from Lil Jon, Juicy J, and Tommy Richman, shoutouts to YG and Bobby Brown, who were in the building among a myriad of celebrity spectators, and, best of all, a surprise pairing with Stevie Wonder.
Not that Usher needed so much (or even any) star-studded support to give his fans their money’s worth. Between his superb singing and dancing, the troupe of performers around him, and the spectacular array of visual effects and stage production, the 45-year-old did plenty to ensure that every attendee was entertained—and then some.
Like every show on Usher’s latest tour, this one was billed and put forth as an exploration of his expansive career dating back to the early 1990s. To that end, his two-hour-plus set spanned the spectrum of his vast repertoire.
Coverage of that kind requires quite a bit of chronological whiplash. In Usher’s case, that began as soon as he emerged from behind a cloud of smoke, clad in a sparkling black trench coat and matching hat with sunglasses. He opened with a medley that saw him spin through two tracks off his latest album, 2024’s Coming Home—the title track and “BIG”—en route to his 1993 debut single, “Call Me a Mack”, and 1994’s “Can U Get Wit It”.
From there, Usher, with support from his eye-popping production, took the audience on a journey through time. At the rear of the stage, a massive construct containing performance space and covered in LEDs depicted an AI ticking and talking through the various phases of the artist’s career, often accompanied by flashes of the year in which a particular song was released.
Usher brought the timeline to 1997 with “My Way” and “You Make Me Wanna…”, crossed into the current millennium with “U Remind Me” and “U Don’t Have to Call”, and proceeded further into the 2000s by way of “Caught Up”. By the time he got to “Don’t Waste My Time” and “Love In This Club”, Usher was gliding around the curvy catwalk on rollerskates, his dancers in tow.
Shortly thereafter, the parade of celebrity guests began.
First came rapper Lil Jon, who combined with Usher on the sultry “Lovers and Friends”. Then, comedian Kevin Hart emerged to take his shirt off while running a skit with Usher, in which the former claimed he was told he could perform an Usher song.
After escorting an incensed Kevin off, Usher got back into his flow with “Nice & Slow” while getting physical with the thrust of the stage in a white tank top and jeans. His dancers did the same in sensual scenes acted out in the construct at the rear of the stage.
After another run of radio hits—including “U Got It Bad”, “Burn”, and “Confessions, Pt. II”—the AI time machine came back into play. The LEDs covering the onstage cage lit up with a video skit depicting what would have happened if Usher had retired in 2001, at the age of 23, as he changed into a heavy, Dune-esque outfit for “OMG” and “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love”.
Following yet another costume change—this time into a long fur coat—Usher took a moment to bask in uproarious cheers and applause before talking to the audience about this show serving as a celebration of his career. He reflected on the hard times he had early on, surviving on $20 per week and trying to make extra money by collecting bottles and cans for recycling.
In the midst of that misty-eyed speech, Usher shouted out Bobby Brown for the pivotal part the latter played in the former’s career—while speaking directly to Bobby in the VIP lounge, no less. Usher went on to serenade Bobby with a pair of the New Edition star’s hits, including “Rock Wit’cha”.
The show only got more interactive from there.
Three 6 Mafia’s Juicy J came out to rap to “Stay Fly” and “Bandz A Make Her Dance”, and combined with Usher on “I Don’t Mind” as dancers spun on stripper poles in the VIP area. During an extended stretch in that part of the arena, Usher belted out “My Boo”, brought up Tommy Richman to perform “Million Dollar Baby”, and said hello to rapper YG, who was there as a guest, before moving on to “Throwback”.
All the while, Usher “made it rain” with dollar bills as he traversed the floor of the Intuit Dome.
That pandemonium immediately preceded the peak of the show: a guest appearance by Stevie Wonder. The 74-year-old Motown legend manned his keyboard, joined with Usher on duets of “Overjoyed” and “Ribbon in the Sky”, and snuck in a speech of his own in which he thanked Usher for the invitation, encouraged attendees to vote this November, and plugged his upcoming tour and new music.
Though Stevie’s cameo was a tough act to follow, Usher found a way to keep the roll going as he resumed his place in the spotlight with “Bad Girl” and “Good Kisser”. The throughline of Usher’s past, present and future came back into play as he sang “Good Good” to and with AI versions of his younger self on screen.
Lil Jon then returned for his beloved shouting role on “Yeah!” with Usher. On the heels of “thank yous” to important people in his life and career—including Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino, who was in attendance—and some moments of reminiscence with Lil Jon, Usher closed out the night (and his run at the Intuit Dome) with his 2011 David Guetta collaboration, “Without You”, as an extra bit of gratitude to those fans of his in L.A. who filled the stands for the better part of a week.
There will be plenty more such packed houses (and captivating production) to come for Usher before the end of his Past Present Future tour. He and his crew will play 38 more dates across the United States through mid-December—many of which have already sold out—before kicking off the European leg of their tour in the spring of 2025. For a full list of shows and to purchase tickets, head here.
The post Stevie Wonder, Kevin Hart, Lil Jon Lend Star Power To Usher’s ‘Past Present Future’ Tour At Intuit Dome [Photos] appeared first on L4LM.
