'Confessions' At 20: Anticipating Usher's One-Night-Only Anniversary Performance At The 2024 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture
Take a look at a some of the genre-defining R&B classics featured on Usher's pivotal album we can't wait to hear celebrated at his can't-miss headlining performance
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – JUNE 22: ( EDITORS NOTE: Image Create Using Star Filter) Usher performs onstage during Hot 107.9 Birthday Bash 2024 at State Farm Arena on June 22, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Prince Williams/WireImage)
As we gear up to celebrate 30 years of loving us at this year’s ESSENCE Festival of Culture, our Saturday night concert series headliner, Usher, has a special milestone of his own to celebrate.
Usher’s career-defining 4th studio album, Confessions, turns 20 in 2024. The iconic R&B album ushered the genre into a new era in the early aughts, earning its standing slot on many Best Album of All Time lists.
At age 19, Ushergave his first show-stopping performance on the ESSENCE Festival stage in 1998. As he celebrates 20 years of the musical masterpiece that defines the sound for a generation, Mr. Raymond returns to give a one-night-only, never-before-seen show celebrating the legacy of his creation.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 11: Usher speaks during the 2024 Apollo Theater Spring Benefit at The Apollo Theater on June 11, 2024 in New York City. (Photo by Shahar Azran/FilmMagic)
While tracks like “My Boo” featuring Alicia Keys and “Burn” are no-brainer crowd-pleasers, we can’t wait to see the multi-generational heart throb tap into some of his lesser-performed Confessions deep cuts during this can’t-miss, one-night-only performance of the album that sent him into the stratosphere.
Take a look at some of the tracks to look out for during Saturday night’s headlining set.
01
“Superstar”
The single that never was (but trule should have been), this album cut became an unofficial a release by the people blasting it out CD players back then and streaming DSPs today. Get your vocal chords ready to help Usher belt out that opening high note on Saturday night!
02
“Yeah!” Feat. Lil Jon & Ludacris
The Quintessential Usher party classic that hits just as hard today as it did in 2004, this one is sure to get the the crowd A-town stomping, doing the muscle, thunderclapping, and doing the rockaway in the Superdome.
03
“Bad Girl”
This sultry neo-classic became an instant get-ready self-confidence booster for the millennial woman just budding into adulthood when it dropped in 2004, and has remained in heavy rotation ever since.
04
“Caught Up”
We’re still caught up on this classic 20 years later!
05
“Can U Handle It?”
Usher flexes his falsetto in this sensual banger whose lyrics go beyond a bedroom romp into a tenuous declaration of shifting to a deeper level commitment, transparency, and honesty in a relationship.
06
“Burn”
What else can be said about this breakup anthem? We’ve already been singing along for 27 days and umpteen hours.
07
“Throwback” ft. Jadakiss
This Just Blaze-produced b-side is a time machine to the early aughts, complete with a hard-hitting verse from Jadakiss.
08
“Confessions Part II”
Of course, what would a performance of Confessions be without the title track that set off a firestorm in the rumor mill at the time and ultimately solidified Usher as an R&B superstar?
09
“Seduction”
You already know it’s time to grab your special someone (or a special stranger?) and give them a slow dance when Usher croons out this one…
10
**BONUS** “Dot Com”
This oft-overlooked track, woven with heavy internet-entendre, was featured in Usher’s Confessions-accompanying short film “Rhythm City Volume One: Caught Up,” starring Clifton Powell and Joy Bryant. A favorite of hardcore Usher fans, this one is sure to trigger nostalgia for Instant Messenger and chat room veterans.
The ESSENCE Festival of Culture™ presented by Coca-Cola® will take place July 4-7. For more information and updates on the festival, visit our website and follow us on social media @ESSENCEFest on X, Facebook, and Instagram.
