the future is now

Usher heads to Houston on big Past Present Future tour

Usher will perform at Toyota Center on Wednesday, November 27.

Photo by Bellamy Brewster

Fresh off his big Super Bowl LVIII halftime show appearance, R&B superstar Usher will capitalize on that massive exposure on his Past Present Future tour that now includes a stop at Toyota Center on Wednesday, November 27.

His 51-date Past Present Future tour will kick off in Atlanta on August 16. In addition to Dallas, Usher will also perform in Austin on October 7 and 8. Usher just added a third show in Dallas along with the Houston date. He will now play a third show at American Airlines Center in Dallas on Thursday, October 3, to go along with the two previously announced shows on Friday, October 4, and Saturday, October 5.

The tour is in support of his new album, Coming Home, his ninth overall and his first since 2016. He'll also be celebrating the 30th anniversary of his 1994 self-titled debut album.

Usher, who previously made a cameo during the halftime show at Super Bowl XLV in 2011, says he will "honor black artists of the past" at his headlining gig. There's no official word on what other singers may join him, but guesses include Lil Jon, Ludacris, Justin Bieber, and BTS.

The tour announcement comes on the heels of the end of Usher's two-year My Way: The Las Vegas Residency run, which saw him play 100 shows at Dolby Live at Park MGM.

Tickets will be available starting with Citi and Verizon presales beginning on Wednesday, February 7. Additional presales will run throughout the week ahead of the general on-sale beginning on Monday, February 12 at 10 am at LiveNation.com.

USHER: PAST PRESENT FUTURE NORTH AMERICA 2024 TOUR DATES:

Fri Aug 16 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena ADDED DATE

Sat Aug 17 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena ADDED DATE

Tue Aug 20 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena

Wed Aug 21 – Washington, DC – Capital One Arena

Fri Aug 23 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena

Sat Aug 24 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena

Tue Aug 27 – Boston, MA – TD Garden

Wed Aug 28 – Boston, MA – TD Garden

Fri Aug 30 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center

Sat Aug 31 – Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center

Mon Sep 02 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena

Tue Sep 03 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena

Fri Sep 06 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center

Sat Sep 07 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center

Mon Sep 09 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center

Tue Sep 10 – Brooklyn, NY – Barclays Center

Thu Sep 12 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena

Fri Sep 13 – Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena

Tue Sep 17 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena

Wed Sep 18 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena

Sat Sep 21 – Los Angeles, CA – Intuit Dome

Sun Sep 22 – Los Angeles, CA – Intuit Dome

Tue Sep 24 – Los Angeles, CA – Intuit Dome

Wed Sep 25 – Los Angeles, CA – Intuit Dome

Sat Sep 28 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena

Sun Sep 29 – Oakland, CA – Oakland Arena

Thu Oct 03 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center ADDED DATE

Fri Oct 04 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center

Sat Oct 05 – Dallas, TX – American Airlines Center

Mon Oct 07 – Austin, TX – Moody Center ATX

Tue Oct 08 – Austin, TX – Moody Center ATX

Fri Oct 11 – Miami, FL – Kaseya Center

Sat Oct 12 – Miami, FL – Kaseya Center

Mon Oct 14 – Miami, FL – Kaseya Center

Thu Oct 17 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena

Fri Oct 18 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena

Sun Oct 20 – Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena

Tue Oct 22 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center

Wed Oct 23 – Charlotte, NC – Spectrum Center

Fri Oct 25 – St Louis, MO – Enterprise Center

Sat Oct 26 – St Louis, MO – Enterprise Center

Mon Oct 28 – Chicago, IL – United Center

Tue Oct 29 – Chicago, IL – United Center

Thu Oct 31 – Chicago, IL – United Center

Sat Nov 02 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Center ADDED DATE

Thu Nov 07 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena ADDED DATE

Sun Nov 10 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena ADDED DATE

Fri Nov 15 – Las Vegas, NV – T-Mobile Arena ADDED DATE

Mon Nov 18 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center ADDED DATE

Sat Nov 23 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center ADDED DATE

Wed Nov 27 – Houston – Toyota Center ADDED DATE

concerts music

Movie Review

Fawning Michael Jackson biopic Michael ignores the singer's complexities

Photo by Glen Wilson

Jaafar Jackson in Michael.

Michael Jackson remains among the most complicated figures in pop culture history. On one hand, he’s responsible for some of the most enduring music of all time, thrilling generations with his voice and dance moves. But his later years were marred by accusations of child sexual abuse and erratic behavior, including his premature death at the age of 50.

So the new biopic Michael is a tough one to judge from a critical standpoint, not least because director Antoine Fuqua and writer John Logan have elided — perhaps temporarily — the thornier parts of Michael’s history. Instead, this film focuses on the 20-year period in which Michael (played as an adult by Michael’s nephew Jaafar Jackson) goes from the prepubescent lead singer of the Jackson 5 to one of the biggest music superstars of all time.

That choice puts an overly sympathetic tint to Michael’s story, as he spends most of that time under the thumb of his domineering father, Joseph (Colman Domingo). Joseph has a vision for Michael and his brothers, and he pushes them hard in a quest to become rich and famous. Even when they achieve that goal, though, Joseph refuses to let up, holding onto Michael even when it’s clear he should go out on his own.

As a reminder of the enormous impact Michael Jackson had on the music industry and world at large, the film is successful. Fuqua and Logan include plenty of music, naturally, but they seem to be most interested in depicting Michael as a human being. They lay it on thick, whether it’s showing him spending time among his family members away from the stage, hanging out with bodyguard Bill Bray (KeiLyn Durrel Jones), or visiting sick kids in hospitals. The message that Michael is a harmless, good person couldn’t be clearer.

The film hints at but doesn’t really explore Michael’s oddities. His obsession with kids literature and movies, especially Peter Pan, are seen as inoffensive quirks, as is his menagerie of animals, including a creepy CGI version of Bubbles the chimp. His arrested development seems to be partially blamed on his parents treating him like a child well into his adulthood, and the resulting fallout is not (yet) addressed.

Many viewers will be most interested in the music sequences, and — save for some repetitive shots of fans fainting at the mere presence of Michael — they are handled well. Whether it’s at home, in the studio, on the set of the “Thriller” video, or at live performances, the film manages to fully get across just what a phenomenon Michael was at his peak. The staging and editing of each scene is dynamic, complementing Michael’s other-worldly abilities well.

If there is one reason to see the film, it is the performance of Jaafar Jackson. Whether he’s capable of doing any other kind of role is undetermined, but his portrayal of his uncle is compelling, as he demonstrates singing, dancing, and acting skills in equal measure. He’s aided by an equally great performance by Domingo, who — with the help of facial prosthetics — overcomes the trope of the bad father. Nia Long and Larenz Tate are also good in smaller roles, but Miles Teller is an odd presence as Michael’s manager.

There are reports that legal complications prevented the filmmakers from using previously-shot scenes delving into accusations against Michael, and there are rumors that a second film will be made about the last 20 years of his life. But that speculation can’t absolve Michael of showing all the positive aspects of Michael Jackson’s life and not even touching any of the negative ones.

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Michael opens in theaters on April 24.

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Movie Review

Fawning Michael Jackson biopic Michael ignores the singer's complexities