Live review: Usher at 3Arena, Dublin

Usher has more than earned his stripes in the modern music landscape with a string of massive hits going back to his debut in the late '90s. Someone in his position might be content to rest on his laurels but Usher remains as vital an artist now as he has been for almost twenty years and was in fine form for the Irish crowds at the 3Arena.
One has to be aware of the kind of show they’re getting into here. Usher is a great vocalist and his band is tight but the act relies heavily on spectacle. With a top-notch crew of background dancers, a multi-tiered stage that changed form seemingly with each new song and cutting edge lighting, pyrotechnics and video effects, you could lose track of the man you were there to see amid the frenzy of activity onstage. One also has to mind the fact that Usher is a guy who can get a crowd to go crazy just by lifting his shirt (to his credit, he only did this once).
In spite of the bells and whistles, though, Usher is a sincere and bafflingly charming performer who guaranteed his Irish fans something special. His onstage dialogues were some of the most memorable moments of the night, as he joked about having to sweat off all the Guinness he had at The Storehouse the previous day (and this reviewer can confirm he sweated all that and more) and later drew the crowd’s attention to a 13-year-old fan he saw, clad in sunglasses and wide-brim hat, who he confessed was cooler than himself. After a bit of banter Usher launched into ‘I Don’t Mind,’ a love song to a stripper, saying “This song may be a little risqué for someone your age … but you’ll get it eventually,” to the delight of the crowd. As he playfully noted afterwards, working until 3am meant staying up to finish homework. What else?
From the explosive, rigorously choreographed numbers that started and ended the show to the more intimate, personal moments from a stripped-down section in the middle, Usher dominated his audience every step of the way, garnering elated screams for almost every movement or sound he made. But most importantly it was clear how much the man loves what he does. The wide grin that he wore most of the night was infectious. Usher clearly won’t settle for giving less than his all and the fans are all too happy to get it.