Following Ye is a tall order, but Usher and Chris Brown gave it a real shot. On Saturday (Sept. 26), the pair closed out their two night stand at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California. According to fan footage, Snoop Dogg popped up during Brown’s set and Robin Thicke walked out during Usher’s.
The bar was set absurdly high the night before. On Friday, Ye appeared masked and unannounced for a medley of “Runaway,” “All of the Lights,” “Flashing Lights,” and “Can’t Tell Me Nothing.
That was the first reported performance from the artist formerly known as Kanye West since his Sept. 4 homecoming show in Chicago. There, he reunited onstage with G.O.O.D. Music affiliates including Kid Cudi, Big Sean, Travis Scott, Common, Twista, and Lupe Fiasco.
So night two had a different job. Snoop brought Southern California credibility to Brown’s half of the evening, while Thicke leaned into the smoother, grown folks side of Usher’s set. Brandy also joined Usher during the Los Angeles run, adding one more familiar face to the weekend.
Surprise guests have basically become the whole identity of this tour. Back in July, Nelly showed up in St. Louis to run through “Dilemma” and “Hot in Herre.”
Then an August doubleheader at MetLife Stadium pulled in 50 Cent, Fat Joe, Jadakiss, Lil Baby, Mary J. Blige, Method Man, Future, and Ashanti.
That kind of roster can make it easy to forget the headliners are carrying a full show on their own. Usher runs through “Yeah!,” “Confessions,” and “Burn,” and Brown hits “No Guidance,” “Deuces,” and “Look at Me Now.” The two then share the stage for “It Depends,” “Party,” and “New Flame.”
Usher sees the pairing as more than a convenient package deal. Speaking backstage with Fat Joe and Jadakiss before one of the MetLife dates, he reached for a very big comparison.
“To be able to do something that no one has ever done at their back, like, imagine if Michael and Prince were able to do something together,” he said.
Not everyone will buy that framing, and the Michael and Prince line is exactly the kind of claim that gets longtime fans arguing. Ticket demand has backed up the ambition, though.
The Live Nation production grew to 59 dates after an extension of eight shows announced Aug. 19, adding Baltimore, Cincinnati, and Indianapolis.
The guest list question now follows them to Texas. Brown and Usher play the Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso on Oct. 3 and San Antonio’s Alamodome on Oct. 5, with a Houston stop at Reliant Stadium after that.
The run doesn’t wrap until Dec. 12 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. That leaves plenty of nights for someone to try topping a masked Ye.
