Usher’s Super Bowl Halftime Tech Malfunction Has Fans Furious: ‘Producers Did Him Dirty’

When Usher was selected to play during this year's Super Bowl halftime show, he was granted one of the most cherished performance opportunities in the world. But, the performer's microphone malfunctioned at the peak of his set, ruining the beginning of his incredible Super Bowl performance, per The Sun. The singer was hardly audible to watchers at home as fans roared and dancers surrounded him. The singer's microphone sound intermittently cut in and out during the start of his set. The enormous microphone that enveloped half of his mouth and spanned his face was insufficient.

It appeared that the sound crew changed his microphone halfway through the performance. Before long, he was positioned in front of the standard microphone and mike stand used at most shows. Soon after, Usher made an appearance on stage, this time with a second microphone strapped to his face, allowing him to freely dance and rollerskate about the platform. Thankfully, from the middle of the performance to the very end, the sound levels stabilized.

On X, formerly known as Twitter, football and non-football fans criticized the halftime team for the technological glitch. "Why did they do Usher so dirty with that trash audio quality?" a fan asked on X, formerly Twitter. "Who was doing the mic check because I can’t hear Usher’s voice that well," another fan slammed the producers with crying emojis. "I’m glad they swapped his mic. I was going to be so disappointed if Usher couldn’t hit those notes like he used to. That was a different show. Lots of surprise elements something new," another person chimed in.

"Wish the mic was louder but solid 7/10. Old people are a little lost but whatever," commented another fan. Another shared, "I don’t know what is worse: The offense in the first half of Usher’s mic." Usher was giddy with anticipation as he reflected on the Super Bowl preparation. "I'm so ready for it to happen. I just want to sing louder than I've ever sung; and dance harder than I've ever danced. I want to celebrate the 30 years of this career where I'm very fortunate to have made songs and moments with people that they will remember forever," he shared, per Mirror.

Yeah!, Love in this Club, Caught Up, and other classics from Usher's three-decade career were among the songs he sang during his halftime show. Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and Lil' John all joined him for an incredible halftime performance. 

Though there were rumors that Justin Bieber might perform with Usher, fans were left disappointed when it didn't happen. After all, Bieber's first mentor in the industry, who helped him navigate the complex music business at the start of his career, was Usher. At the beginning of his career, the pair worked together on numerous chart-topping tunes, such as Somebody to Love (Remix), Peaches (Remix), and First Dance. As such, a fan wrote on X, "Justin bieber didn't join usher on the superbowl stage... i need a cigarette."