UR Experience Tour

The URX Tour
Tour by Usher

Promotional poster for the tour
Start date November 1, 2014 (2014-11-01)
End date July 4, 2015 (2015-07-04)
Legs 2
No. of shows 27 in North America
23 in Europe
Usher concert chronology

The UR Experience Tour was the fourth concert tour by American artist Usher. Visiting North American and Europe.[1] Its setlist was composed of a wide array of Raymonds's discography, in addition to new songs "Good Kisser", "She Came to Give It to You", "I Don't Mind" and a medleys of previous hits.

Raymond notably selected R&B newcomer August Alsina, DJ Cassidy to support his North American leg. For the European leg he would enlist the African-Norwegian group Nico & Vinz; introducing both to the public during their early careers.[2][3] Yahoo broadcast the show on livestream his concert at Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta in Canada.

Background and development

On September 2, 2014 Live Nation announced the URX Tour will tour North America this fall, bringing The UR Experience to fans in 27 cities.[4] "With The UR Experience, I want to give my fans an ever-changing live show full of surprises and special guests", says Usher. "I am really excited to be with my fans and give them an Usher experience like they've never seen or heard before." Promoting The UR Experience Tour he released a 30-second black and white video of him training, dancing and preparing for the upcoming tour. Usher performed on The Today Show Summer Concert Series previewing what his fans would see on The UR Experience Tour.

Fashion and wardrobe

Prior to the tour Usher began working with fashion designer Kirby Jean-Raymond of Pyer Moss who designed wardrobe for his 2014 NBC's Today Show, MTV Video Music Awards, BET Awards and iHeartRadio Music Festival performances and his appearances of The Voice.[5] Jean-Raymond stated, "Usher is a true performer, he does not lip sync and he dances vigorously so he needs breathable clothing, the Killer comes in a lightweight perforated leather option and the Ryan comes in a mesh option with vents that allow him to breathe! We’ve made several of each for him."[6] For the tour they created a custom Pyer Moss Bike Jacket that he wore over a Pyer Moss Mess Shirt with black cargo pants. Completing the outfit he wore Martin Margiela chain embellished red suede sneakers.[7]

Critical reception

Usher performing the URX Tour

The tour was met with positive reviews. Chad Baka of the New York Times wrote "He has established himself as one of R&B's supreme performers and craftsmen, following through on what he learned from Michael Jackson in particular.".[8] Paul Familetti of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "His routines were sharp, effortless and even playful at times, and he didn't need to rely on constant gyrating to entertain." Familetti also wrote, "Usher also shined vocally when he took the time to do so: bouncing his gold mic stand during "Caught Up", hitting the top of his range on "Climax", adding extra runs to "U Remind Me", impressively closing "Burn" a cappella"[9] Robyn Mitchell of Tampa Bay Times wrote, "Usher reminded fans constantly that they've been supporting him for 20 years in the music industry -- an unfathomable stat whenever he paused to smile his charming schoolboy girl".[10]

A.R. Shaw from Rolling Stone commented "with new age R&B acts such Chris Brown and Trey Songz building their presence in music, some may forget Usher's overall impact on the genre. But the "UR Experience Tour" proves, again, that Usher's legendary status remains intact.".[11] Gerrick D. Kennedy of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "An Usher show has long been an exhilarating affair packed with high-octane choreography held together by sleek, masterful showmanship."[12] François Marchand of The Vancouver Sun states, "Usher can embody the cybernetic physicality of a MJ and the pure funk swagger of a JB (as on party jam Twisted — "Hit me one more time!"), and you can applaud an artist who doesn’t rely so much on tape playback and shows just how much blood and sweat he leaves out there on the stage."[13]

David Smyth from London Evening Standard said "Usher himself was quite the mover and shaker, invoking his idol Michael Jackson as he slid and shimmied about the stage in gold trainers. During one triumphant spell, including "Twisted" and "Caught Up", his band became an old-style soul revue, horns blasting while the lights blazed. There were snippets of Stevie Wonder and, more surprisingly, Eric Clapton."[14]

Set list

  1. "My Way"
  2. "OMG"
  3. "Love In This Club"
  4. "You Make Me Wanna"
  5. "Lil Freak" (Interlude)
  6. "Nice & Slow"
  7. "U Remind Me"
  8. "Twisted"
  9. "Caught Up"
  10. "She Came to Give it to You"
  11. "Dot Com" (Interlude)
  12. "Climax"
  13. "Confessions"
  14. Medley: "Think Of You" / "Throwback" / "Lemme See" / "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)" / "My Boo" / "I Need a Girl (Part One)" / "Lovers and Friends" / "I Don't Mind" / "Body Language" / "New Flame"
  15. "Burn"
  16. "There Goes My Baby"
  17. "U Got It Bad"
  18. "Superstar" (Intro)
  19. "Bad Girl"
  20. "Good Kisser"
  21. "U Don't Have to Call"
  22. "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love"
  23. "Yeah!"
Encore
  1. "Without You"

Tour dates

Date City Country Venue
North America[15]
November 1, 2014 Montreal Canada Bell Centre
November 2, 2014 Toronto Air Canada Centre
November 4, 2014 Auburn Hills United States The Palace of Auburn Hills
November 5, 2014 Cleveland Quicken Loans Arena
November 7, 2014 New York City Madison Square Garden
November 10, 2014 Washington, D.C. Verizon Center
November 11, 2014 Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center
November 13, 2014 Boston TD Garden
November 14, 2014 Uncasville Mohegan Sun Arena
November 15, 2014 Atlantic City Boardwalk Hall
November 17, 2014 Chicago United Center
November 18, 2014 St. Paul Xcel Energy Center
November 21, 2014 Los Angeles Staples Center
November 22, 2014 Las Vegas MGM Grand Garden Arena
November 24, 2014 San Jose SAP Center
November 26, 2014 Seattle KeyArena
November 27, 2014 Vancouver Canada Rogers Arena
November 30, 2014 Edmonton Rexall Place
December 4, 2014 Dallas United States American Airlines Center
December 5, 2014 Houston Toyota Center
December 6, 2014 New Orleans Smoothie King Center
December 8, 2014 Memphis FedEx Forum
December 9, 2014 Atlanta Philips Arena
December 12, 2014 Orlando Amway Center
December 13, 2014 Miami American Airlines Arena
December 14, 2014 Tampa Amalie Arena
Europe[16]
February 27, 2015 Copenhagen Denmark Forum Copenhagen
February 28, 2015 Hamburg Germany O2 World
March 2, 2015 Cologne Lanxess Arena
March 3, 2015 Antwerp Belgium Sportpaleis
March 4, 2015 Amsterdam Netherlands Ziggo Dome
March 6, 2015 Zürich Switzerland Hallenstadion
March 9, 2015 Munich Germany Olympiahalle
March 11, 2015 Paris France Le Zénith
March 12, 2015 Mannheim Germany SAP Arena
March 14, 2015 Nottingham England Capital FM Arena
March 15, 2015 Sheffield Sheffield Arena
March 17, 2015 Glasgow Scotland The SSE Hydro
March 18, 2015 Newcastle England Metro Radio Arena
March 20, 2015 Dublin Ireland 3Arena
March 21, 2015 Belfast Northern Ireland Odyssey Arena
March 23, 2015 Manchester England Manchester Arena
March 24, 2015 Birmingham Barclaycard Arena
March 26, 2015 London The O2 Arena
North America
April 18, 2015[lower-alpha 1] Washington, D.C. United States National Mall
Africa
June 5, 2015[lower-alpha 2] Rabat Morocco Festival Site
North America
July 4, 2015[lower-alpha 3] New Orleans United States Mercedes-Benz Superdome

Band

Dancers

Notes

  1. ↑ The April 18, 2015 concert in Washington, D.C. was a part of Global Citizen Earth Day Concert.[17]
  2. ↑ The June 5, 2015 concert in Rabat was a part of Mawazine festival.[18]
  3. ↑ The July 4, 2015 concert in New Orleans was a part of Essence Music Festival.[19]

References

  1. ↑ "Usher announces". AXS. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
  2. ↑ "Usher URX Tour Update: August Alsina to Open + Win His Dancing Shoes | One Nation – Concerts & Tour News". One Nation. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
  3. ↑ "Usher's 'The UR Experience' 2015 UK Tour Dates Are On Sale NOW!". Capital FM. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
  4. ↑ today he will tour North America this fall, bringing The UR Experience to fans in 27 cities.
  5. ↑ "Usher Wears Pyer Moss Biker Jacket and Balenciaga Arena Sneakers for 2014 iHeartRadio Music Festival | UpscaleHype". www.upscalehype.com. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
  6. ↑ "Getting Dressed with Usher at the BET Awards". BlackBook.
  7. ↑ "Usher Wears Pyer Moss Custom Biker Jacket and Maison Martin Margiela Chain Sneakers on Tour | UpscaleHype". www.upscalehype.com. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
  8. ↑ "With Signature Moves, R&B Romeo Takes a Turn as Casanova". The New York Times. 10 November 2014.
  9. ↑ Ashley Lee (8 November 2014). "Usher UR Experience Concert Review at Madison Square Garden: Leans on Nostalgia and Second-Nature Moves". The Hollywood Reporter.
  10. ↑ "Review: Usher crushes a dynamic, crowd-pleasing performance at Tampa's Amalie Arena". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
  11. ↑ "Concert review: Usher highlights Atlanta's culture at the 'UR Experience Tour'". Rolling Out.
  12. ↑ Los Angeles Times (24 November 2014). "Usher brings hits, but not much new to Staples Center". latimes.com.
  13. ↑ Marchand, François. "Review: Usher dances around long-delayed UR album in Vancouver". www.vancouversun.com.
  14. ↑ "Usher, UR Experience Tour, O2 Arena – music review: 'The spectacle". Evening Standard. 27 March 2015.
  15. ↑ Sources about tour dates in North America:
  16. ↑ Sources about tour dates in Europe:
  17. ↑ "Usher, No Doubt, Fall Out Boy Highlight Inaugural Global Citizen Earth Day Concert In DC". Billboard. April 18, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  18. ↑ "American Singer Usher to Perform at Mawazine Festival". Morocco World News. March 12, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Usher at the 2015 Essence Fest: Less was more". NOLA.com. July 5, 2015. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
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