“Britney coming in such a big way when she was still incredibly relevant - I knew at the time that she would open doors, that people would think: ‘Sh-t, well, Britney did it …’ ” recalls Baz Halpin, the show’s creative director, who now runs the production and design agency Silent House. The era of the new-school residency arguably began in 2013 with Britney Spears’ Piece of Me. Over the past decade, the Vegas artist residency has gone from a career death knell to a transformative flex for established artists like Usher, who have catalogs so stacked they can easily sustain a 90-minute show. For the creative director of a pop star’s Las Vegas residency, though, this is just another day at the office. (Yes, he is the grandson of Broadway lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II.) His current role required him to weigh in on a list of last-minute issues: fine-tuning the automated time codes that coordinate the action, cleaning up the staging for “this kind of skate ballet” and figuring out how to fit more “Ush Bucks” into Usher’s shoes so the singer could make it rain during a strip-club sequence. It would still be a long next 36 hours for Hammerstein, 44, who came up in the downtown New York theater scene and is best known for co-founding The Box, an intimate nightclub with vaudevillian, burlesque and other outré entertainments. “All right,” Hammerstein declared, “we’ve got an ending.” Mars cued up the track and the cast went through the motions of the number, grouping up to perform in unison the club moves Lil Jon calls out at the song’s end: the A-Town Stomp, the Muscle, the Rockaway. “We’re having a fight.” He explained what he wanted: a song that would effectively take advantage of the 23 dancers, roller skaters and pole dancers onstage and feel like “the choreographic version of a high-five … and then end with lasers and walk out to more lasers.” “Aakomon, perfect timing!” said Hammerstein. Twenty minutes later, though, his enthusiasm had dimmed, and he returned to an earlier choice: Usher’s dancefloor hit “Yeah!”Īakomon Jones, Usher’s personal overall creative director, slid onto a stool next to Hammerstein. “Mars just solved it!” Hammerstein exclaimed. So Mars suggested “Good Love,” Usher’s recent summer collaboration with City Girls. If u got it bad, tickets go on sale Thursday, September 10, at 10 a.m. A July 2021 indoor concert sounds suss, but let’s face it: We all know some aunties who would risk it for Usher. The self-titled show is promoted by Live Nation, whose tours were grounded indefinitely this spring. Though Vegas casinos and clubs have already begun to reopen, live events are still on pause across the country. All dates at /dz5eESVhG0- Usher Raymond IV September 4, 2020 Text me at (404) 737-1821 and I’ll hit you back with the presale code this weekend. I’ll be kicking off my Vegas residency July 2021 at Colosseum! Tix go on sale Thursday 9/10 at 10 AM PT, but you can get yours starting Monday. Las Vegas is all about really shining it up.” I can be more intimate than I’ve ever been with my audience, allowing people to come in and feel a different level of connection to the songs. “A little bit of acting, a little bit of personality, a little bit of music, dance. “I can pull from all of the things that I’ve done,” he said. “In Vegas, I get a chance to create the show that I want, and I get a chance to be with my fans who’ve been cooped up for months and months.” The show promises an “intimate” experience with Usher you won’t be able to get at an arena show. “I cannot wait to perform for an audience,” Usher told Billboard. The Grammy winner plans to begin his run at the Colosseum on July 16, 2021, and finishes January 1, 2022. While most of us haven’t planned anything past this weekend, Usher is placing his bets on a residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas for next year. Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
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