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Story and photos by Kate Seesholtz
Usher opened the second night of his Ladies Only - One Night Stand Tour Monday night at the historic Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City. Even though he started nearly 40 minutes late, prompting boos from the crowd, Usher quickly won back over the audience of eager female fans with his hits "Love in This Club" and "You Remind Me." Usher wanted this tour to be as intimate as possible to give back to his female fans that have supported him over his decade long career. There was no barrier between the stage and the audience, allowing for a few uncomfortable moments of grabbing by fans in the front row. Usher's well rehearsed choreography with a bevy of scantily clad back up dancers kept the audience screaming wildly throughout the set.
Since this night was all about Usher's female fans, he surprised the audience by bringing one lucky girl up on stage with him. He had his male dancers bring out champagne and chocolate covered strawberries which he hand fed to the ecstatic fan. They danced provocatively while he sang to her, leaving many people in the audience becoming skeptical as to whether this was just an elaborate set up with a casted dancer.
Usher finished out the night with a well rounded mix of his new songs, including the new single "Trading Places," as well as his standard hits "Confessions" and "I Need a Girl." Even though the show tended to play out at times more like a Chippendale review than a concert, Usher truly knows how to please his female audience and it is safe to say that none of them left disappointed.
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