A ROYAL VISIT

May 25, 2011

Forget Will and Kate, fans packed into Rogers Arena Wednesday night claiming nearly every seat available as the reigning King of R&B brought his OMG Tour to Vancouver.

In a whirl of lights and hysterical cheering, Usher made an entrance fit for royalty, rising up from the floor on a suspended platform that moved across the stadium to the stage at the other end—giving screaming fans their first glimpse of the superstar.

Hitting the ground dancing Usher—an impressively energetic and athletic performer—opened with "Monstar" and "She Don't Know". Dressed in a black military-inspired jacket, he quickly moved on to "Yeah", enticing the crowd to sing along.

Fans showed up in droves and were not disappointed as Usher brought the whole package to the stage.

Born Usher Terrence Raymond IV, the award winning artist's resume sports an impressive array of accomplishments, from singer-songwriter to actor, from music executive to designer.

But what was mostly on display tonight, and what had the crowd swooning, was his dance moves.

Usher glided across the stage as if his feet weren't really touching it. He was in constant movement from the opening number, his body effortlessly in sync with the music. It was a sight to see and would have made MJ proud.

The stage was set up perfectly to showcase the skills of the main attraction and his eight dancers. Ramps lined with lights and a conveyer belt encased the band, while the front of the stage was left open for the choreographed show.

The man who brought pop sensation Justin Bieber into the lives of tweens around the world, doled out some hits from his own early days of super stardom.

Standing with a mic at the edge of the stage, Usher now in all white although his shirt didn't stay on for long, serenaded the crowd with "Nice and Slow" off his second album My Way, which propelled him into the spotlight in the late 90s.

The concert also weaved in new material, notably "Mars vs. Venus" and "Lil Freak", from his sixth studio album Raymond v. Raymond, which debuted at number one of the Billboard 200 chart in March 2010.

Opening performances from Dev and The Cataracs and Akon set the energy level and tone for the show early. Serving as the middle act, Akon's brief but high impact set drew eardrum bursting cheers when the artist announced he could feel the electricity in the building and threw on a Canucks jersey.

The show was everything fans came for, especially the one lucky female fan that got up close and personal with Usher for "Trading Places".

One of the best selling artists of all time, Usher certainly knows how to play to his audience. An "OMG" worthy encore complete with smoke and fireworks finally capped Vancouver's royal visit.