The street vendors that frequent Harlem, New York’s 125 Street put away the incense and aloes last Friday. Replacing them were scalpers in front of the street’s famed Apollo Theater trying to hustle up $175 (“Prices negotiable!”) from desperate fans that did not buy tickets for the one night only sell-out show going on inside the venue.
In the same week it was announced his fifth album Here I Stand went number one on the Billboard charts, Usher took the Apollo Theater on a walk down memory lane last Friday.
After R&B upstart group One Chance, signed to Usher’s US Records, warmed up the historic theater’s audience, the house DJ announced the presence of some of the stars that came out to see what Usher had to offer. Bronx rapper Fat Joe sat in one balcony while pop princess Ciara, wearing a baggy black t-shirt and a matching baseball hat backwards, sat in another.
In spite of playing in a building that appears to be one lit match away from meeting its end, Usher came out to a display of pyrotechnics. Dressed in a red leather jacket, a white t-shirt, pants, sneakers, and yes, his wedding ring, Usher walked out onto the stage in grand fashion singing the intro to Here I Stand. His vocal development was evident throughout the night as there were no, cracks, croaks, or falters in his delivery. Backed by a drummer, two keyboardists, a guitarist, and three male background singers, Usher ran through classics like “You Remind Me,” “My Way,” and new cuts “This Ain’t Sex” and “Trading Places.”
The show was a true testament to the skills Usher has acquired as a seasoned entertainer. When he performed his 1997 slow jam “Nice and Slow,” he went into a series of furious pelvis thrusts like a young, raunchy Bobby Brown. When he sang his 2001 smash “You Got It Bad,” Usher switched to laying down on top of the microphone stand as if it were a woman he was gently making love to.
Usher’s dance moves were crisp as well. Whether he was getting on the good foot like James Brown, ticking to beat patterns, or staying in sync with his dancers and chairs to perform the choreography to “You Make Me Wanna,” he looked like it had not been years since his national tour.
Rumors of Usher being overweight are greatly exaggerated. Although his signature back flip was absent from the show, Usher did jump into a one-armed handstand. And when a dancer lifted his shirt to reveal his abs and later ripped his shirt off, Usher looked more like a pro athlete playing himself into shape after a long off-season.
Switching from white to an all black outfit, Usher chose to wind down the night with “Let It Burn,” and “Moving Mountains” before going out with his latest number one single “Love in This Club.”
With an extensive catalogue, Usher easily could have spent up to three hours on stage, but the tight 90 minute set certainly did not disappoint. At a venue that’s hosted the likes of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, and Michael Jackson, Usher received a standing ovation before he said goodnight.
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