Usher: Tiny Desk Concert
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Published 2022-06-30
Bobby Carter | June 30, 2022
"We celebrate Black Music Month. This has been Black magic." Truer words may have never been spoken behind the Tiny Desk as R&B goliath Usher caps off our month-long celebration of Black music, highlighting a catalog chock-full of hits spanning 25 years. It's been over two years since NPR headquarters was abuzz with chatter of a legend in the building. After an early morning rehearsal for his set at the Something in the Water Festival in Washington, D.C., he made his way over to deliver an unforgettable performance.
Usher and his band, all dipped in black, set it off with an introduction over a funky horn-laced instrumental reminiscent of a Blaxploitation flick. They keep that groove going right into a reworked version of his 1997 breakout single, "You Make Me Wanna..." Twenty-five years later, Usher sits arguably as the king of R&B. Between 2000 and 2010, there was no debate whatsoever, with his string of records that included the biggest R&B album of the 21st century, Confessions.
What he's done in the vocal booth is only half of his claim to fame. The stage is where he's continued to shine as he prepares for the second leg of his Las Vegas residency. This loose and playful set touches on his many career phases; the crooning, the deeply personal, the club bangers and even the Tik Tok challenges indicate that he could just be reaching his prime. Recently, we've heard plenty of hot takes, wild battles and social media fodder about who sits at the mountaintop in the world of R&B. Usher Raymond has entered the chat.
SET LIST
"You Make Me Wanna..."
"Superstar"
"U Don't Have to Call"
"Nice & Slow"
"Confessions Part II"
"My Way"
MUSICIANS
Usher: vocals
Eric Bellinger: vocals
Vedo: vocals
Dmitry Gorodetsky: bass
Lemar Guillary: trombone
Brandyn Phillips: trumpet
Jay Flat: saxophone
Darek Cobbs: keys
Erick Walls: guitar
Ryan Carr: drums
TINY DESK TEAM
Producer: Bobby Carter
Audio Recording & Mix Engineer: Josh Rogosin
Director: Kara Frame
Editor: Michael Zamora
Series Creator: Bob Boilen
Videographers: Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant, Michael Zamora, Pierre Kattar, Alanté Serene
Production Assistant: Ashley Pointer
Tiny Desk Team: Suraya Mohamed, Marissa Lorusso, Hazel Cills, Jill Britton, Joby Tanseco, Maia Stern
VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins
Senior VP, Programming: Anya Grundmann
#tinydesk #usher #BMM
All Comments (21)
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Usher having Eric Bellinger and Vedo as his background vocalists on Tiny Desk is a big big flex!!! R&B is alive.
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you know what?!?!? it's not much you can count on in this life lawd except (1) Usher being fine (2) Usher hitting a falsetto while being fine
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I'm here after Superbowl to get an EXTRA dose of Usher!!
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Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but Usher is arguebly the most complete R&B singer to ever do It. Charm, vocals, dance, stage performance, consistency and many more others.
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If Usher ever decides to come out with a jazz version of his hit songs on an album, I’m BUYING!!
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As a professional musician, I really appreciate how classy it was for Usher to introduce his fellow musicians, who deserve the recognition for how great the groove and vibes are throughout the performance.
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Raise your hand if you’re excited for the Usher concert at the Super Bowl 🙋🏻♀️
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After seeing this, I logged off, went to ticketmaster, bought my ticket to his residency in LV, booked my flight to LV and watched history. Alone. It was amazing
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So glad Usher's voice is still in tact. He sounds just like the record and doesn't look a day over 25.
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The fact that usher still sounds like his record from 25 years ago is crazy
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One thing about Usher… his mic is ON!
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The “Watch This” and his giggle makes me smile every time ❤😂
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Not too many singers today sound like their records. This is an Artist in every definition
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And this is why y'all have to respect Usher for those who think ANY of those suggestions are qualified for a VERZUZ against him. GOAT for spotlighting Eric Bellinger and VEDO. l great voices.
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Not me singing along “make me wanna leave the one I’m with…” wifey is not pleased 🤣🤣🤣
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Hard to watch this without smiling. Usher is that likable artist.
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I love that he introduced his band first— and mentioned their first and last names. He showed a lot of respect for his band 🤍
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This set is CLEAN. The songs are arranged so smoothly. The vocals are not strained. The energy in the room is palpable. Loved it all.
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Who else is here from the LVlll superbowl after usher’s outstanding performance!
