OH MY GOD! Usher me to heaven, almost.

by Owen Tonks

If I’m honest I didn’t really have high hopes for Usher when I found out I was going to see him as part of his OMG tour at the O2 Arena. Don’t get me wrong, of course I jumped at the chance to go, especially since I had a friend who drools at the mention of his name…plus, why wouldn’t I.

My doubts arose due to Usher’s telebox appearance earlier this year. His X Factor performance was actually a little disappointing. Either sing or dance man. Don’t dance like a maniac and then just sing the odd monosyllabic word when you feel like it. I’d also heard that he got booed in Germany recently so I was expecting a similar performance at the O2.

After arriving at the giant tent of music and entertainment that is the O2 I headed straight to Wasabi and polished off a box of Chicken Noodles before heading to our seats where I collected a tank of Fanta and pumped myself full of orangey, gassy, goodness surrounded by what seemed like the entire cast of My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding (lack of clothes and dancing was just amazing) as well as Jack Tweed and The Only Way is Essex star James ‘Arj’ Argent.

The show kicked off with Tinchy Stryder as the support act. I was quite impressed that Tinchy had managed to get the opening spot for such a huge US act and fair play to him but he seemed a little lost and could have done with a bit more production and some backing dancers as he seemed lonely on a massive, empty stage.

A leather clad Usher appeared on the stage soon after and quickly worked up a sweat and almost automatically stripped, ripping his vest straight off, much to the delight of a screaming crowd. For anyone other than hardcore fans this may have been the most exciting it got for a while as the US superstar worked his way through his extensive back catalogue and two hour set. Usher launched into classic hits such as U Remind Me and U Make Me Wanna.

As you may have guessed from his dancing, Usher is a fan of Michael Jackson and he teased us with a tribute to the King of Pop by dancing to, but not actually singing to, Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough. Nice tribute but judging by the crowd’s reaction, a little more would have been welcome.

Soon after, a slow and almost boring section of the show was livened up when Usher plucked a lovely lass out of the crowd and all but had sexual naughtiness with her on a chaise lounge. Seriously, I did not know where to look. There I was, right next to three huge screens and extremely close to the stage and I felt like I was peeping through someone’s bedroom window. Had she forgotten where she was?! Erm, excuse me love, can you see the 15,000 people around you?! She certainly looked like she was in heaven.

The end of the show rocketed into some more upbeat, recent hits such as DJ Got Us Falling In Love and OMG which caused the arena to erupt with excitement and perhaps sexual tension following the constant Usher related nakedness.

When he sang he was good. Some high notes were questionable but when you dance, and sweat, as much as him, it is impossible to perfect a vocal throughout a two hour set.

OT.

Usher’s gig forms part of American Express’ Preferred Seating programme, which provides Cardmembers with exclusive access to a host of music and cultural events throughout the year. For more information visit amex.co.uk/access

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Owen

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