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

Dakota Fanning-led The Sun Never Sets needs more direction

Photo courtesy of Independent Film Company

Dakota Fanning in The Sun Never Sets.

The movies of writer/director Joe Swanberg have always been an acquired taste, as he prefers to give his actors a loose framework of a story and let them improvise most of their lines to give the films a more natural feel. Sometimes that approach can yield great results, and sometimes — as in The Sun Never Sets — it can result in addled and maddening storytelling.

Wendy (Dakota Fanning) is in her early 30s and at a crossroads in her life. When a friend announces she’s pregnant, she starts to re-evaluate what she wants, including her two-year relationship with the older Jack (Jake Johnson). Although they love each other, their disagreements on having more children and extracurricular activities call their long-term viability into question.

Jack, not wanting Wendy to settle, encourages her to explore her options where they live — Anchorage, Alaska — telling her he’ll be waiting should she strike out. What he doesn’t expect is that Wendy’s ex-boyfriend, Chuck (Cory Michael Smith), has returned to the city, giving her an attractive alternative. The three engage in a love triangle that proves frustrating and confusing for both the participants and the viewers.

What works best about the film is its location in Alaska, which rarely gets showcased in movies, and even more rarely in the way it is here. The story takes place in warmer months, and Swanberg gives his characters multiple opportunities to be outside, showing off Anchorage’s harbor, surrounding mountains, and seemingly vibrant city life. The subtle but effective way Swanberg frames various scenes makes the landscape enormously appealing.

It’s too bad, then, that the story never measures up to its surroundings. Too often Fanning, Johnson, Smith, and others seem to be grasping for their next line, unsure of what they want their character to do or say next. That lets their scenes mimic real conversations, but you might not realize how much you want scripted dialogue until you see actors trying to come up with their own in the moment.

The larger issue is that there’s no consistency from scene to scene about where the plot is heading. The characters of Wendy, Jack, and Chuck are extremely wishy-washy about their desires, with each of them vacillating back-and-forth in just how much they want to be with each other. Depending on your experience, this may or may not be true to life, but watching it is excruciating and not enjoyable or romantic in the slightest.

As actors, Fanning, Johnson, and Smith are talented and interesting, with each capable of connecting with viewers in different ways. But working in improvisation is a different beast, and only Johnson — who has worked with Swanberg multiple times — seems truly at home. A few others, like Debby Ryan and Anna Konkle, do well in the format and maybe deserved bigger parts.

Swanberg has proven in the past that his method of filmmaking can be insightful and entertaining, but that is not the case here. In The Sun Never Sets, his hands-off approach is a detriment to the flow of the film and the story as a whole, resulting in an experience that is far from what most viewers will want to go through.

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The Sun Never Sets is now playing in select theaters.

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