Usher throws a fun, nostalgic party at Target Center

It’s amazing what a difference 10 years can make.

Just ask Usher, who played his first local arena headlining show in a decade at Target Center on Saturday night. For just under two hours, the 46-year-old singer/songwriter/actor/dancer/businessman, born Usher Terry Raymond IV, held court over the packed basketball arena in downtown Minneapolis.

Ten years ago at the The problem was that Usher had reached the point in his career where the hits had dried up, along with the enthusiasm of his audience. As such, he struggled to keep the attention of the seven thousand people who did show up.

Back to Saturday, his first of two nights at Target Center. Usher released ‘Coming Home’ earlier this year, his first album since 2016. And his current tour is called “Usher: Past Present Future.” But it was abundantly clear that the crowd – filled with middle-aged couples who probably don’t go to the club as often as they used to – was there for the hits of their youth. Yep, Usher is an oldies act now.

Usher did not tour in the latter half of the ’10s, playing occasionally at one-offs and festivals such as his stripped-down – no major production, no live band, just a few dancers – 2017 stop at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand, which featured wrestling with sales up to the last-minute addition of Lil Jon (and a buy-one-get-one ticket offer). By the end of the decade, Usher’s star had finally faded.

But well-received Vegas residencies in 2021, 2022 and 2023, coupled with his triumphant Super Bowl Halftime Show in February, reminded people why they liked him in the first place. His current tour is selling tickets like it’s 2008 again.

On Saturday, Usher offered up an even bigger version of his 2014 tour, with a non-stop barrage of his hits (sometimes reduced to just a verse and chorus) and hardly a dull moment thanks to his talented band, nimble dancers and Usher himself .

He opened the show with “Coming Home,” “Hey Daddy (Daddy’s Home)” and “Big” to loud cheers. After three songs of intense, demanding choreography, Usher took a break for a medley of his first three singles (“Call Me a Mack,” “Think of You” and “Can U Get Wit It”), which he performed while capturing images watched of him from that time on the big screen behind him.

During “U Remind Me,” Usher did an elaborate dance where he tossed his baseball cap around and indulged in a quick handstand. He donned bedazzled roller skates during “Don’t Waste My Time” and “Love in This Club,” leading into the steamy part of the night.

While singing “Nice and Slow,” Usher reached into his pants and later hoisted the front of his tank top over his head, exposing his bare torso, which he promptly doused with a bottle of water. He completely lost his shirt during the guitar solo of “U Got it Bad” and started dancing erotically with his microphone stand. He remained shirtless as he lay down on a rotating turntable-like section of his stage and slowly worked his way through “Climax.”

He did play a few songs from the new album. He introduced “I Am the Party” by telling the audience that the song was influenced by Minneapolis artists such as Prince, Mint Condition and Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. And it was quite hilarious when he walked through the crowd in a red fur coat feeding maraschino cherries to the ladies in the crowd. (In some cases he had the lady’s husband do the eating.)

It turned out to be a pretty fun show, with Usher working just as hard, if not harder, than ever before. He still has it.