There were no stripper poles in Celine’s Dion’s show at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
The only thing Usher’s new Las Vegas residency has in common with the greatest modern-era Strip headliner shows is an excessive amount of hits. When Elton John performed nearly 450 shows during his residencies at this now-legendary venue, he had to leave plenty of chart-toppers and fan favorites off the setlist. Even if these typically 90-minute concerts run long, there just isn’t enough space to fit all the significant songs recorded by a true legacy artist.
Usher has the same issue but works very hard to fit in as many tracks as possible. At times, his official opening night at the Colosseum on July 16 felt like one of those infinite medleys you’ll see at a music awards show from a lifetime achievement honoree. Those segments served as a reminder of just how many hits and varied genres the 42-year-old singer has in his considerable repertoire, but most of the songs that really resonated with the sold-out crowd (“You Remind Me,” “Burn,” “You Make Me Wanna,” “Nice & Slow”) were performed in their entirety, sparking several sing-alongs throughout the night.
There’s a big, obvious takeaway from this very loud, special effects-laden Vegas production: It’s a boldly different direction for a Colosseum residency. From Dion and John through the most recent artist additions Keith Urban and Sting (whose opening was postponed from last spring to October 29), there’s never been an R&B artist like Usher doing a spread-out series of shows here and attracting as diverse an audience as the Colosseum has ever seen. Mariah Carey’s performances from 2015 to 2020 represented a move in this direction, but she’s definitely considered a pop artist while Usher has continuously crossed over to different charts but always maintained his foundation with Black audiences.
And while some parts of his show feel indulgent, he’s definitely giving his fans what they want, and that’s the most important thing for a Las Vegas Strip musical residency. Usher opens with a video tracing his career accomplishments before walking through the audience to the stage during “My Way,” the title track from his breakthrough 1997 album. There is a series of fabulous costume changes, intense choreography showing off his famous moves and roller skating during newer single “Don’t Waste My Time” before he’s back in the aisles of the Colosseum, getting closer to fans and persuading them to do the singing on “My Boo,” his 2004 collaboration with Alicia Keys.
A huge, two-story strip-club set piece rolls out for a multisong set including “Bad Girl” and “Lil Freak,” one of the show’s most libidinous segments (there are no shortage of those) that shifts the spotlight to an army of fantastic dancers and acrobatic pole performers. It feels like the Usher
-iest moment of the night, the best integration of his music and style with a big Vegas production.
After eliciting plenty of screams with a rewardingly familiar rendition of “You Make Me Wanna,” Usher wraps it up by diving into his EDM stuff, mixing the underrated Diplo-produced ballad “Climax” and clubby “DJ Got Us Fallin’ in Love” with Lil Jon-produced crunk&B smash “Yeah!” and David Guetta collaboration “Without You.” Like any new show, it has peaks and valleys that will surely be smoothed out over time, and after his current run into August, Usher will be back on the Strip for a New Year’s Eve session.
Before Usher, a show from an artist like this would likely land at Caesars Entertainment’s other big residency room, Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood, where Britney Spears sparked the trend of clubby dance parties as concert spectaculars. Usher at the Colosseum feels more significant for the evolution of residencies and could also be the perfect “Welcome back to Vegas” show for many returning visitors.
USHER July 30-31, August 4, 6, 7, 11, 13, 14, $179-$750. The Colosseum, 855-234-7469.
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