Usher teams with Bruno Mars, teases Dolby Live residency

A brace of kings won the manus and rocked the location astatine Dolby Live astatine Park MGM connected Thursday night. Usher showed up, unbilled but intelligibly acceptable to perform, during Bruno Mars’ penultimate amusement of 2021.

Get utilized to these 2 astatine Dolby Live, too. Mars, playing the relation of planetary amusement correspondent, dropped a weaponry erstwhile helium told the roaring crowd, “Usher is playing present adjacent year, truthful get your tickets.”

Mars likes to tease from the signifier (and this announcement was apt not authorized by MGM Resorts International), but helium was not kidding. We tin confidently study Usher volition beryllium connected the Dolby Live roster successful 2022, with a caller amusement acceptable to unfastened apt successful July. The R&B superstar has 2 much shows astatine the Colosseum astatine Caesars Palace, wherever helium closes his residency with shows New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

Usher shook up the country heavy into Mars’ performance, which astir filled Dolby Live to its 5,200 capacity. Sitting astatine the keyboard, Mars had conscionable commented that helium erstwhile “wanted to beryllium connected TV, conscionable similar Usher,” astatine which constituent Usher himself strode out. The spot privation wild. The 2 past teamed connected Usher’s “You Got it Bad” and “You Don’t Have to Call.” That was a blessed surprise, but Mars’ announcement astir Usher switching theaters was a shock.

Usher’s determination southbound connected the Strip marks the archetypal clip a Colosseum nonmigratory headliner has switched to Park MGM’s theater. Serendipitously, the venue that opened arsenic Park Theater celebrates its 5th day New Year’s Eve weekend. Stevie Nicks with peculiar guests the Pretenders opened the venue Dec. 31, 2016.

We expect Usher, who has toured the venues front- and back-of-house setup, volition make an ancillary acquisition akin to his terrific, autobiographical “Backstory Pass” beneath the Colosseum.

Dolby Live present has a afloat calendar of headliners lined up for 2022, with announcements pending arsenic acts navigate information protocols amid the latest COVID omicron variant surge. But expect Lady Gaga, Aerosmith, Cher, Mars (with a revamped production), Garth Brooks and Jonas Brothers to each execute aggregate dates astatine Dolby adjacent year. There besides is 1 different superstar to beryllium announced astatine Dolby Live for the archetypal 4th of adjacent year, and it is said to beryllium a biggie.

The Colosseum volition frankincense look to regenerate Usher, whose residency was a item of the COVID reopening crossed Las Vegas. He and Mars were the archetypal 2 superstar headliners to restart their shows successful July, arsenic large-scale amusement returned to the city.

Adele is the Colosseum’s large gully for 2022, opening her “Weekends With Adele” bid Jan. 21. She is performing 2 shows per play done April 16, each of which person sold retired without being made disposable to the wide nationalist with. Platinum VIP prices transcend $4,500 and are acold higher rates connected the secondary market.

On Thursday, Usher arrived successful characteristically stylish fashion. He wore baggy achromatic pants and a achromatic overgarment gleaming with what appeared to beryllium Swarovski crystals (or particularly fancy rhinestones) with a reddish bosom and missive “A” crossed the near front. The superstar had told his assemblage astatine the Colosseum connected Wednesday he’d tweaked his near genu (former Fox 5 anchor Christine Maddela tweeted that accusation from the theater), but showed nary grounds of being restricted.

Instead, helium grooved it up connected “You Got it Bad” portion Mars played piano. Mars past snared a guitar and the 2 sang and danced side-by-side for “You Don’t Have to Call.”

Usher began to locomotion disconnected the signifier aft the archetypal number. Mars had nary of that, shouting, “You’re not leaving the signifier with that fancy-ass jacket!” As Usher yet departed, Mars again referred to that dazzling piece, joking that helium was wearing a escaped button-down garment because, “I didn’t get the memo!”

Usher stayed for the last 4 songs, watching from the Dolby Live VIP section, a agelong that included the show-closing “Uptown Funk” and the requisite cannon blasts of confetti.

Regretfully, nary of Usher’s quality would beryllium captured connected compartment phones, astatine slightest not without violating Mars’ ain venue rules. The headliner requires phones to beryllium pouched successful Yondr-brand cloth cases oregon simply near behind, truthful nary images oregon posts scope the public. Throughout his Dolby Live shows, Mars cheerily sings a opus with the chorus, “I took your phones awaaaaay!”

That opus would triumph a Kats! Award for Best Song You Won’t Hear Unless You Attend a Bruno Mars Show. Maybe Mars volition person that fig acceptable for his caller amusement astatine Dolby Live adjacent year. We tin deliberation of an capable duet partner.

John Katsilometes’ file runs regular successful the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast tin beryllium recovered astatine reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him astatine jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats connected Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 connected Instagram.