UR Experience Tour

Background and development

On September 2, 2014 Live Nation announced the URX Tour will tour North America this fall, bringing The UR Experience to fans in 27 cities. "With The UR Experience, I want to give my fans an ever-changing live show full of surprises and special guests", says Usher. "I am really excited to be with my fans and give them an Usher experience like they've never seen or heard before." Promoting The UR Experience Tour he released a 30-second black and white video of him training, dancing and preparing for the upcoming tour. Usher performed on The Today Show Summer Concert Series previewing what his fans would see on The UR Experience Tour.

Fashion and wardrobe

Prior to the tour Usher began working with fashion designer Kirby Jean-Raymond of Pyer Moss who designed wardrobe for his 2014 NBC's Today Show, MTV Video Music Awards, BET Awards and iHeartRadio Music Festival performances and his appearances of The Voice. Jean-Raymond stated, "Usher is a true performer, he does not lip sync and he dances vigorously so he needs breathable clothing, the Killer comes in a lightweight perforated leather option and the Ryan comes in a mesh option with vents that allow him to breathe! We’ve made several of each for him." For the tour they created a custom Pyer Moss Bike Jacket that he wore over a Pyer Moss Mess Shirt with black cargo pants. Completing the outfit he wore Martin Margiela chain embellished red suede sneakers.

Critical reception

The tour was met with positive reviews. Chad Baka of the New York Times wrote "He has established himself as one of R&B's supreme performers and craftsmen, following through on what he learned from Michael Jackson in particular.". Paul Familetti of The Hollywood Reporter wrote, "His routines were sharp, effortless and even playful at times, and he didn't need to rely on constant gyrating to entertain." Familetti also wrote, "Usher also shined vocally when he took the time to do so: bouncing his gold mic stand during "Caught Up", hitting the top of his range on "Climax", adding extra runs to "U Remind Me", impressively closing "Burn" a cappella" Robyn Mitchell of Tampa Bay Times wrote, "Usher reminded fans constantly that they've been supporting him for 20 years in the music industry -- an unfathomable stat whenever he paused to smile his charming schoolboy girl".

A.R. Shaw from Rolling Stone commented "with new age R&B acts such Chris Brown and Trey Songz building their presence in music, some may forget Usher's overall impact on the genre. But the "UR Experience Tour" proves, again, that Usher's legendary status remains intact.". Gerrick D. Kennedy of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "An Usher show has long been an exhilarating affair packed with high-octane choreography held together by sleek, masterful showmanship." François Marchand of The Vancouver Sun states, "Usher can embody the cybernetic physicality of a MJ and the pure funk swagger of a JB (as on party jam Twisted — "Hit me one more time!"), and you can applaud an artist who doesn’t rely so much on tape playback and shows just how much blood and sweat he leaves out there on the stage."

David Smyth from London Evening Standard said "Usher himself was quite the mover and shaker, invoking his idol Michael Jackson as he slid and shimmied about the stage in gold trainers. During one triumphant spell, including "Twisted" and "Caught Up", his band became an old-style soul revue, horns blasting while the lights blazed. There were snippets of Stevie Wonder and, more surprisingly, Eric Clapton."

Set list

1. "My Way"
2. "OMG"
3. "Love In This Club"
4. "You Make Me Wanna"
5. "Lil Freak" (Interlude)
6. "Nice & Slow"
7. "U Remind Me"
8. "Twisted"
9. "Caught Up"
10. "She Came to Give it to You"
11. "Dot Com" (Interlude)
12. "Climax"
13. "Confessions"
14. Medley: "Think Of You" / "Throwback" / "Lemme See" / "Hey Daddy (Daddy's Home)" / "My Boo" / "I Need a Girl (Part One)" / "Lovers and Friends" / "I Don't Mind" / "Body Language" / "New Flame"
15. "Burn"
16. "There Goes My Baby"
17. "U Got It Bad"
18. "Superstar" (Intro)
19. "Bad Girl"
20. "Good Kisser"
21. "U Don't Have to Call"
22. "DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love"
23. "Yeah!"

1. "Without You"

Band

Dancers