Usher might be an old head now, but there was once when he looked up to stars. And while people always connect him to Michael Jackson, the Confessions star also looked up to Prince.
Thus, it was excited to see that the producers of The GRAMMYs opted to go with Usher for a tribute to “Purple One” instead of the various Prince clones that you see popping up in iTunes all the time.
Yup… really… refreshing and thoughtful.
Dressed in Lilac leather and sequins, cascading red lights with Sheila E in the back on percussions, he started with the 1982 smash, “Little Red Corvette.” His rendition was super respectful (not doing too much like some folk are known to do), yet took a few liberties like lowering the octave.
After that, he came through with “When Does Cry” with signature choreography with the band. Again, a little bit of Usher but the proper amount of Prince for a tribute with an updated twist. The dancers elevated the performance making it more than just a vocal honor, but a whole sensual experience.
The transition to Prince’s song, “Kiss” was even cooler as the A-Town hero rested in his falsetto to deliver this to the fans.
When the bridge came (the part where he says “Think I wanna dance”) Usher cut loose a little bit, incorporating fancy leg work and hip gyrations.
The audience loved it as he was met with a standing ovation from the audience.
