Two decades after he took the stage, Usher still makes us saying OMG after we leave his shows

If you’re expecting a crowd of predominantly teenage girls to an Usher concert, you’re wrong. If you went to his show at the O2 and thought that his main idea was to emulate Michael Jackson, you might be wrong as well.

Usher started the concert on a flying platform. He looked around and saw a very diverse audience. It was not only screaming teenage girls waiting for him to take his shirt off (which he did). There were the parents of these girls, fathers with their sons and mates who were drinking beer and enjoying the show.

The star filled the stage with his personality. Usher’s voice and moves are his competitive advantage and he exploited that to the maximum last night in front of approximately 20, 000 of his fans.

Let's Take a Ride

In the two-hour experience the Dallas native offered a musical journey - from his debut single You Make Me Wanna, to Love in This Club and the medley of his previous hits.

There was a good selection of songs. The fans seemed more excited about his previous singles than the ones from Raymond V. Raymond, although after the concert the only thing you can hear at the North Greenwich tube station was “oh, oh , oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh…” from OMG.

During the performance of You Reminded Me the four female dancers pretending to be his previous lovers haunt the singer in a dramatization where he’s acting like a player. 

The happiest girl in 02

In Trading Places an attractive blonde girl from the crowd went to the stage. Usher got very intimate and I heard someone from the audience saying, “That b*tch is so lucky.” The performance was a little dirty, but that can be forgiven.

Usher just got divorced, he’s a bachelor again and there’s nothing wrong with a little display of raunch. On the other hand, it helps selling more albums. That’s probably is one of the reasons why he also took off his shirt and had all these suggestive moves.

Choreo

Overall the dance performance was slick with some choreography reminding of Justin Timberlake’s FutureSex/LoveShow. The dancers were professional and demonstrated good skills when they used pyro or other light effects for the numbers.  

Usher paid a tribute to his idol Michael Jackson with a dance on the intro of Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough.

There are reviews in the British press that claim the main idea of the artist during the concert was to imitate the King of Pop. I don’t think that was necessarily the case, but I believe that Usher has the capacity to fill the void for an inspiring pop act that appeals to mass audiences.

Know London Better

What is the best thing to do in London? 


I went to a very energetic and inspiring performance by Barak Marshal at the Dance Festival; did the Jack the Ripper Tour, and visited most of the tourist places. But for me the most exciting experience had nothing to do with a particular site or event. It’s a feeling. 


The feeling comes about leaving the Oxford circus tube station on a Saturday. It is a true London experience . If you’ve never been in a big cosmopolitan city you might find it difficult to realize what is happening around you. People carrying big bags trying to find their way out, but end up in another store spending even more money. 

They don’t care about the traffic lights, and keep walking as if the red light is a sign indicating that the store from the other side on the street is running out supply. 

If the people in Green Park will give you directions, here it will be tricky to stop someone and expect help. 

Being spellbound by the feeling of Oxford Street their only aim is satisfy the desire for something new. That feeling is the moving force of the city of London. Where does it go? Eventually to the closest McDonalds. People spend almost all of their weekly allowances, feel exhausted and start living on a budget again…until the next Saturday. 

Due to the ongoing industrial action some lines might be affected...

In countries like France, Germany and Greece calling a strike “inappropriate" may foster a negative reaction towards the government, but in a country with almost no tradition of strikes the general attitude might be different.

It is the second Tube strike in one month for London and the commuters are not happy or supportive.

“I don’t see why they’re striking really. I think it’s just causing trouble stopping everyone to go where they want to going.”, says Samuel who’s living in Uxbridge and uses the unaffected part Metropolitan line.

The strike was organized by the RMT and TSSA unions. Yesterday at 1830 their members walked out over plans to cut 800 ticket office jobs.

Today the Transport for London said about 75% of stations on the network were open. At the same time the RMT described the disruptions as "massive and widespread".

Dimok who was running late for an unexpected business meeting didn’t have the time to find information online and he was trying to figure out on the spot which was the best way to travel. At Northwick Park Tube there was nobody that could help and the automated screen was not clear enough for him. Dimok said, “I support the workers, but there are other ways to negotiate.” Thinking of alternative ways to get to the city he concluded, ”The London Underground should be privatised. “

Ghelani is a seller at a news stand at the same station. Though the Metropolitan line is not completely closed she can feel the difference.

“It’s almost noon and the papers are still around, even the Metro (the free paper) is still there. Usually at 7 o’clock they’re all gone, but today there are still here.”

She feels sorry for the workers, but thinks that the job cuts are part of the development of the technologies.

“They don’t need cashiers any more at the ticket offices.”

It seems most of the commuters were irritated by the disruptions in the city. It is a common attitude that resonates with the words of the Transport Secretary Philip Hammond who described the strike as “completely unnecessary and inappropriate.”


On a personal note I expected disruption, but I didn't have any troubles using the Metropolitan Line and was one hour early for class.

Take a Break When You Feel Like an Idiot

Adapting to the life in another country can be stressful. Kyle Burton, a 22 year old exchange student from the United States has found a way to be cool with it.

Kyle moved to London two weeks ago and though the United States and the Britain share the same language he needed time to adjust.

“You can’t be too eager to try to jump into the culture. You have to be patient with your own comfort giving yourself a break when you feel like an idiot.”

One of the ways to take a break is to visit the nearest park. It can be very relaxing and helps to organize life in the big city. “Don’t throw yourself to the wolves which can happen if you’re constantly moving in the city.”

As an exchange student the 22 year old American needs to spend a plenty of time to study, but he also tries to devote a couple of hours every day exploring London. Walking down to a small unexplored side path can be “incredibly fulfilling”.                                                                                                                                                                           

Kyle is not afraid by the culture shock because for him “meeting new cultures you can grow your personality and your own character because people from different walks of life can teach you something about yourself and about their life.”

Click here for the whole interview.