So let's just start here:
I studied harder to prepare myself to write this editorial than I did for 90 percent of the exams I took in college. Now that doesn't necessarily say a whole lot about me as a college student, but I promise you that it ensures that I left no stone unturned while trying to come up with my six bold predictions in order for Usher's Super Bowl 58 Halftime performance.
I scoured the internet for hours, reading Usher's interviews and looking for insight into what songs might be included in his setlist. I perused his official discography page on Wikipedia, going album by album to find the songs that made the most sense for a halftime show set. I took note of all of his songs that were included in Apple Music's official “Where's Usher” mini-movie that was released just two days ago. I even did my homework on Super Bowl halftime shows of the past to see if there were any trends in terms of format that I could pick up on.
Does that mean that each and every one of my predictions will turn out to be correct? Probably not.
Should you still take the five minutes necessary to read this article? Well, to quote Usher himself, “Yeah!”
Prediction #1: “Good Good” will be the Opening Song
Perhaps taking a page out of Justin Timberlake's playbook from 2018, I see Usher opening his performance with “Good Good,” the lead single off of his recently released album Coming Home. I'm not saying I support this decision, just like I wasn't fond of Justin Timberlake opening his Super Bowl LII Halftime Show with “Filthy,” the forgettable lead single off of the underwhelming Man of the Woods album. But hey, in front of an audience of over 100 million people, I don't fault Usher for marketing his new music.
However, if I'm Usher, or if I were given the job of crafting the halftime setlist, I'd be coming out with a bang, giving the people what they want right out of the gate. And what the people want is “Yeah!”
Prediction #2: Lil Jon and Ludacris will appear, and they won't just be performing “Yeah!”
The closest Usher has come to disclosing anything about his Halftime performance came during an interview with Entertainment Tonight, where Usher said, “I would be a fool to not play ‘Yeah!' Let’s just start there. 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 you have it. “Yeah!” will be on the setlist, and that's for good reason. It's arguably Usher's biggest hit. Everyone knows and remembers “Yeah,” but I think people tend to forget that Usher, Jon and Luda had to do it again.
Following the massive success of “Yeah!” Usher, Lil Jon and Ludacris teamed up again just a few months later on Lil Jon's Crunk Juice album, releasing the song “Lovers and Friends” to a decent amount of success. The single peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and remains underrated twenty years later, if only because Lil Jon sings the lyric “Up in here kissing, hugging, squeezing, touching / Up in the bathtub rub-a-dubbing.”
And while we have Ludacris and Lil Jon on stage, I see Usher giving his pals the chance to perform some of their solo hits as well.
(More on that later)
Prediction #3: Alicia Keys won't just be performing “My Boo”
Alicia Keys has already been confirmed as a guest performer, which essentially ensures that “My Boo” will be on the Super Bowl 58 Halftime Show setlist. But since she's going to be involved, why not let Alicia Keys cook for a bit on her own?
I was fortunate enough to get the chance to see Alicia Keys perform in concert last summer with my girlfriend, and let me tell you, she is by far the most impressive vocalist I've ever had the pleasure of being in the presence of. So while Usher hurries through a costume change, let Alicia Keys run through a medley of some of her biggest hits. I promise you that nobody in the Allegiant Stadium will be disappointed.
Prediction #4: Usher will not perform “OMG”
This is partially wishful thinking, and partially a bet that since Usher, as a guest of the Black Eyed Peas at Super Bowl XLV, performed this song with will.i.am thirteen years ago, maybe he won't feel the need to double-up on what is objectively the worst popular Usher song. Okay, I suppose that is actually a subjective argument, but I'm not taking questions, comments, or concerns at this time.
Prediction #5: There will be at least one cutaway to Taylor Swift
Because why wouldn't there be?
Prediction #6: “Burn” will be the Closing Song
Prince closed with “Purple Rain”
Beyonce closed with “Halo”
The Weeknd closed with “Blinding Lights”
Rihanna closed with “Diamonds”
Katy Perry closed with “Firework”
What do all of those closing songs have in common?
The Super Bowl Halftime Show is a once-a-year spectacle, and at the conclusion of each and every Halftime performance, there should be a crescendo of lights and fireworks that definitively mark the completion of the set. All of those songs listed above — none more perfectly than “Firework” — have a title that could properly symbolize and bring to life a visual representation of the conclusion of the show.
Now you can make the case that because “Yeah!” is the most anthemic song in Usher's catalog, it would be the proper choice to close the performance. I'm not prepared to argue with you. But for a second, just imagine, a wall of fireworks behind Usher as he sings “Burn,” the follow-up single to “Yeah!” that spent 8 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2004. Are you really prepared to tell me that this isn't a fitting final shot for a performance from Usher that's been 30 years in the making?
Bonus Prediction: The Entire Setlist
Don't hold this one against me when it's almost entirely wrong. But if for some reason it's more right than wrong, well, then you heard it here first.
“Good Good”
“Yeah!”
“Lovers and Friends”
Lil Jon / Ludacris Medley – “Stand Up,” “Get Low,” and “How Low”
“My Way”
“You Make Me Wanna”
“U Got It Bad”
“Caught Up”
“Confessions Part II”
“Love In This Club”
“DJ Got Us Falling In Love”
“Without You”
“My Boo”
Alicia Keys Medley – “No One,” “Girl On Fire”
“Burn”
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