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Usher performs June 7 during the annual Walmart employee celebration at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark. Walmart held its annual employee celebration with a celebrity host and guest artists, plus talks by company officers. / NWA Democrat-Gazette/Charlie Kaijo
SOURCE: timesfreepress.com
The chart-topping, Grammy-winning entertainer, who’s called Atlanta home since he was 14 years old, has made 2024 another memorable year for his career, with more showstopping performances, record-shattering television appearances and award trophy bragging rights.
Starting the year after concluding his successful two-year Las Vegas residency and an eight-night run of live performances in Paris, the 45-year-old singer is showing no signs of slowing down or taking a hiatus.
This week, he’ll bring it home to Atlanta, with shows at State Farm Arena Aug. 14, 16 and 17 (few tickets remain; verified resale tickets available via livenation.com). If you miss those shows, he’ll return to the same venue in October for three more dates.
Here’s a rundown of Usher’s 2024 highlights so far.
Feb. 6: Usher announced “Past, Present, Future,” his 24-city concert tour with Live Nation Entertainment. It ends in November in Texas, then he’ll perform in Europe next year. Multiple dates are sold out.
Feb. 9: Usher released “Coming Home,” his first studio album in eight years, two days before his record-breaking Super Bowl halftime performance. His first independent full-length project and ninth solo album overall, “Coming Home” was released under Mega, the record label he launched with LaFace Records co-founder Antonio “L.A.” Reid. The album rose to No. 2 on the Billboard 200 album charts.
Feb. 11: The hitmaker gave a highly anticipated Super Bowl LVIII halftime performance with a lively, 13-minute set. He sang, danced, skated and was joined onstage by a who’s who of prominent singers and musicians, including H.E.R., Alicia Keys, Lil Jon, Jermaine Dupri, will.i.am and Ludacris.
Usher also paid homage to Black culture with members of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity stepping with canes, members of Jackson State University’s marching band and students from Jonesboro High School’s band. Garnering over 200 million viewers, it became the most-watched halftime show in Super Bowl history.
The singer also married music executive Jennifer Goicoechea at The Fast Lane, a drive-through wedding tunnel, in Las Vegas.
Feb. 14: The multihyphenate got quite an Atlanta homecoming following his Super Bowl performance. Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport projected Usher on its digital monitors above the escalators. Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens presented Usher with a Phoenix Award, the city’s highest honor. The Black Music and Entertainment Walk of Fame re-unveiled his Crown Jewel of Excellence emblem on the venue’s sidewalk. He was also presented with resolutions and an Outstanding Georgia Citizen Award from the Georgia state legislature at Clark Atlanta University. Representatives from Fulton County declared it Usher Raymond IV Day, and the Georgia Legislative Black Caucus gave him its Music Legacy Award. He closed the night with a star-studded album-release party for “Coming Home” at Red Martini Restaurant and Lounge in Buckhead.
March 16: Usher took home trophies for Entertainer of the Year, Outstanding Male Artist and the President’s Award during the 55th annual NAACP Image Awards. During the program, Usher mentioned the contributions Black women, including his mother Jonnetta Patton, made to his three-decade career. “If anybody deserves it more than anybody, it’s her because of the tenacity that it took to look within a male-dominated industry and believe in her son, no matter how hard those boardrooms may have been. Because of that, I have this moment,” Usher said.
April 20: Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly presented Usher with a key to the city and several proclamations. The singer lived there before moving to Atlanta.
May 6: Usher hosted the Met Gala after-party at the Edition Hotel rooftop in New York City.
June 11: The Apollo Theater, the iconic live venue in Harlem, New York, gave Usher the Icon Award at its spring benefit concert to celebrate its 90th anniversary. Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, who co-founded Usher’s former label, LaFace Records, was presented with the Apollo Theater’s inaugural Legacy Award and inducted into its Walk of Fame.
June 22: Usher surprised the audience at Birthday Bash 2024, the concert hosted by Atlanta hip-hop station Hot 107.9, at State Farm Arena during headliner Latto’s performance, the first female rapper to headline the show. She joined the singer for his ballad “Superstar.”
June 27: The American Society of Composers and Publishers presented Usher with its Voice of the Culture Award at its Rhythm and Soul Celebration for his influence on music and culture.
June 30: The BET Awards honored the multitalented entertainer with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The showman’s 13-minute acceptance speech had numerous delays and colorful language edited from the broadcast.
July 6: Usher headlined the second day of the 30th annual Essence Festival in New Orleans and gave a special one-night-only performance of his fourth studio album, “Confessions,” in its entirety. The album, which sold more than 10 million copies and placed four No. 1 singles on the Billboard pop charts, celebrated its 20th anniversary this year.
July 24-26: Usher’s New Look Foundation, the nonprofit organization the singer co-founded in 1999 with his mother, celebrated its 25th anniversary with a Disruptive Summit, the organization’s 10th youth leadership conference, held at Oglethorpe University in Brookhaven.
Sept. 12-15: Usher will release “Rendezvous in Paris,” a concert film screening at AMC Theatres nationwide highlighting his eight-night residency which began September 2023.
