Chris Brown and Usher Cling to Their Roots for Their Stadium Debut in Cleveland: Review

When news broke for Chris Brown and Usher’s R&B Tour in April, the announcement of a Cleveland date wasn’t necessarily met with open arms.

Many fans were quick to share their excitement on social media. But among them, other commenters were less enthused. Between some choice words regarding each artist’s reputation, milder replies ran the gamut of “I hope not,” “Ewwwwwww,” puking emojis and simply, “No.”

Despite their commercial success, the singers still wear a very public history of legal and social controversies.

Musically, the duo each weaved their way through the rap, hip-hop and R&B scenes as some of the genres’ most notable artists of the 2000s. Brown pays much homage to that career-defining catalog at The R&B Tour, but he’s playing partly in support of his newest record, BROWN, a 27-track album followed up just a few weeks ago by its deluxe version: 37 songs clocking in at about 2 hours. Familiar vocals and a rich lineup of featured artists are supplemented by buttery smooth beats flowing neatly from song to song.

Usher has spent the better part of two decades carrying the soundtrack at clubs, restaurants and high school homecomings; hits like “Yeah!”, “DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love” and “OMG” arguably go down as some of the most iconic, recognizable tunes in American pop music. A steady release of music in the years following led the star to the Super Bowl halftime show in February 2024, simultaneously when he debuted his latest album, COMING HOME, which leans more sensual than his usual cadence, but didn’t make its way onto the The R&B Tour at all. Since then, Usher’s got no new original tunes to his name, only a few features.

Brown has managed to release music at least every other year since 2012, a tireless run that has included classics like “International Love,” “Forever” and “Kiss Kiss” — all while facing assault allegations that infamously began during his 2009 relationship with Rihanna. A timeline reported last May by People Magazine notes different incidents arising almost every year between 2012 and 2025. The sequence of events includes arrests, restraining orders and detainment in foreign countries.

And Usher is well-aware, dismissing the criticism in a recent ABC News report and conceding that this tour is for the love of the music. Usher also received backlash earlier this year for comments he made around his longtime friend, Sean “Diddy” Combs, who is serving a prison sentence for prostitution-related charges. The Hollywood Reporter highlighted an interview that Usher did with Forbes in March, where he called Combs a “mentor” and said the media has “misrepresented” his character.

This all races in the back of my mind as I prepare to enter Huntington Bank Field on Tuesday night. It’s the first time either artist has played a Cleveland venue since the 2010s, and it’s packed. I check Spotify out of curiosity — Brown has nearly 59 million monthly listeners on that platform alone. Usher follows close behind with 47 million. BROWN debuted among the top 10 on the Billboard charts.

A sea of fans stream into the stadium. Like Usher said: for the love of the music.

Immediately, I understand that there’s music to love. The true co-headlining experience has Usher and Brown swapping the mic every few songs for a 50-something-track marathon that keeps intrigue alive, but lasts nearly three hours. A packed first half featuring throwbacks like Usher’s “My Boo” and a cinematic showing of Brown’s “For the Moment” keeps the crowd on their feet. Backup dancers, impeccable choreography and colorful strobe lights have a nostalgic, Y2K vibe. It’s fun, lively and lighthearted.

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Then, it starts to get weird.

When the most well-known classics take the rearview for other tunes, stage visuals range from 1920s dinner parties, to chess boards and strip clubs. With Brown leaning more dystopian and grungy and Usher more luxurious and refined, each artist sticks to their own individual aesthetic in a way that feels creative, yet jarring. Both Brown and Usher also utilize AI-generated visuals between songs that act as dynamic short films, including one of Brown levitating to the moon. At one point, Usher sets fire to a trail of liquor that he pours on the ground, and Brown flies through the audience on a harness — not once, but twice.

The gimmicks are impressive, but they start to grow tired. While each artist undeniably lets their ageless vocals shine, much of the show relies on backing tracks for dance breaks, crowd participation and Usher taking his shirt off. And rather than speaking to any preconceptions folks may have had about their controversies, both Usher and Brown instead opt for suggestive dances, visuals and ad-libs highly revolved around women.

There's music to love, sure. Thousands of fans are here who love it. But tonight, it doesn’t feel like enough to separate from the artist.

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