Forget about goal posts! Usher could bring stripper poles to the Super Bowl as the vaunted halftime show’s latest musical controversy.
The NFL has announced that Usher will be headlining the halftime show at the 2024 Super Bowl show.
But a major concern for the star could be how to bring a favorite element of his act — stripper poles — to the notoriously conservative annual spectacular.
The “DJ Got Us Falling In Love” singer regularly includes exotic dancing in his act, including at his Las Vegas residency, and dancers have even been known to “steal the show.”
“Usher plans on having… pole dancers — dressed in a tasteful manner, of course as well as dancers on roller skates,” a source said of the halftime show preparations, “He is definitely keeping in mind that his younger fans will be watching.”
“[He] just wants to set himself apart and make history as one of the greatest performers to hit the world stage,” they added, “Beyoncé, Rihanna, Dr. Dre, Prince and Michael Jackson have all made memorable moments and now that Usher is taking the stage he wants to do something different, unforgettable and over-the-top.”
Viewers have not been tolerant of risqué material in the past.
Most famously, there was a deluge of complaints after Justin Timberlake exposed Janet Jackson’s nipple during their 2004 performance, but there was also an uproar after M.I.A. flipped the bird during the 2012 show.
The announcement was made by using clips from his 2004 music video for “Confession Part II.” Deion Sanders, Kim Kardashian and Odell Beckham all starred in the commercial.
The 44-year-old’s “My Way” residency in Vegas at the Park MGM has won rave reviews and attracted a slew of celebrities.
Usher has also announced that his ninth album, “Coming Home,” will drop on Super Bowl Sunday. It’s his first new album since 2016’s “Hard II Love.”
In a statement the “Yeah” singer said, “It’s an honor of a lifetime to finally check a Super Bowl performance off my bucket list. I can’t wait to bring the world a show unlike anything else they’ve seen from me before. Thank you to the fans and everyone who made this opportunity happen. I’ll see you real soon.”
“Usher is an icon whose music has left an indelible mark on the cultural landscape throughout his career, we couldn’t be more excited to have him headline this year’s Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show,” said Seth Dudowsky, the head of music for the NFL, in a statement. “We look forward to working with Usher, Roc Nation and Apple Music to bring fans another Halftime Show for the history books.”
Super Bowl LVII is set to take place Feb. 11 in Las Vegas.
Usher’s team got back to us and commented, “We have no idea what Usher has planned just yet for his performance.”
