With just days to go before Usher takes to the stage at the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show 2024, all eyes are on what tracks the R&B titan will be unleashing live.

Billed as a performance that has been “30 years in the making,” the seismic showing tasks the veteran with fitting three decades of dominance into a coveted 13-minute slot.

There are the undeniable hits, recent viral moments, and new numbers from his freshly released album – ‘Coming Home’ – to factor in when deciphering what to deploy at the Allegiant Stadium in Nevada.

And it’s safe to assume that it hasn’t been an easy navigation to a final setlist.

Folk won’t have to wait long, though, because Sunday night’s Super Bowl Halftime Show will bring with it what the icon landed on.

However, pending then, That Grape Juice has tallied our dream setlist. And, we’ll say it from the jump, it’s a touchdown!

Join us below…

Yeah!

If ever there was a surefire track on the setlist, it would be ‘Yeah!’ Functioning as a wise choice to either start the party or signal its climax, we’d say what better way to kick off Halftime than with this high-octane classic?

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OMG / DJ Got Us Falling In Love / Scream

Pacing is everything, as is mass appeal. So, while Usher’s dalliance with EDM still ignites much debate, there’s no doubt that these three tracks are a must. Following on from our desired opener will see these cuts keep the collective energy on 100.

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Love In This Club

In keeping the tempo on an “up” while gliding towards Urban mainstay, this #1 smash is the perfect transitional track.

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Confessions Part II

As the reigning King of the R&B, Mr. Raymond has promised to celebrate the sound in earnest with this performance of a lifetime. ‘Confessions,’ as both a song and album, are cornerstones of R&B, rendering this a mighty must.

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Bad Girl

While not one of Usher’s biggest chart hits, this pops off live and boasts an air of the theatrical.
And trust us, we saw as much during his stellar Paris residency.

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U Remind Me

With R&B anchoring and Pop sensibilities, this ‘8701’ gem is Usher in his optimal element. It wows live every time and we can only imagine what its next evolution will look like at Halftime.

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U Got It Bad

Time to slow things down! And what better way to do so than with one of Usher’s most beloved slow jams? Often performed with a mic and a spotlight, this brings with it the ability to inject a little intimacy into such a seismic spectacle.

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Climax

Perhaps more of a brief moment, we’d still love to see this given a moment on such a grand stage. What the star pulls off with it during his residency shows is stunning, so imagine that on an elevated platform. Epic!

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My Boo

A duet of duets, this sing-a-long-song moment almost feels tailor-made for performances of this scale. And it’s safe to say, the Allegiant Stadium will be in collective chorus when it hits. It’d surely call for an Alicia Keys appearance too. The call-and-repeat of it all has us all sorts of hyped!

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Burn

We’ve witnessed enough Halftimes to know that artists either finish on a hyper-high or an anthemic ballad note. We vote for the latter for Usher. ‘Burn,’ as a #1 global smash, is beloved and brings with it the scope to close out in a visually stunning way.

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Bonus Bops!

Here At TGJ, we’re all about the music! So, while the above represent the songs we’d love to see showcased in a sizeable capacity, a catalog as colossal as Usher’s means more can be sprinkled in too as interpolations.

With that, here are a few more tracks we’d like to hear…even if only for a few seconds!

Superstar

After its viral moment and introduction to a wider audience (following years as a fan-favorite album track), sewing this into his performance would be the ultimate nod to the fact that great music will always prevail.

Good Good

With a performance as mass-watched as Halftime, there naturally is an appetite for a classics-only affair. However, Mr. Raymond has an album to promote. ‘Good Good,’ while not the most Super Bowl “sounding” song is a whole bop and remains the most known track from the LP thus far. As such, why not immortalize it (in some way) in a showing that will be etched in his history and history more broadly?

My Way

Emblematic of Usher’s journey up until this point, featuring it would give a nod to the uniqueness of his artistry. It would lean into the fact, that while he’s been long overdue for a Halftime slot, he earned it his…way.

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What do you think of our setlist?

Your thoughts?

[Photo Credit: Bellamy Brewster]

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