After the fun and exciting Super Bowl show that Usher performed, many have thought about the question: was it better than last year’s performance by Rihanna?

Rihanna’s 2023 halftime show for the Super Bowl, was praised and hyped, along with the fact that she was pregnant at the time. Everyone showed their joy for the creativity and the confidence that she had to pull off a show like that. All of the dancers were in sync, with floating props and matching puffy white outfits in contrast to Rihanna’s long, skin-tight red costume, that easily revealed her pregnancy. She performed well and it was enjoyed by the crowd but was it good enough? Is it still a good show compared to Usher’s performance?

Usher’s show escalated in crowd support the longer it went on. In the beginning, it started off slow, with everyone singing along with the song, however, it mostly appealed to older generations since it was an older song. This was viewed as an unpopular idea by Gen-Z. Then, the performance picked up more crowd involvement with songs that really made Usher go big, including singing and dancing on roller skates. All dancers were on them, skating around, along with Usher. He also included Alicia Keys and surprised the viewers with Lil Jon. Although it was a good show, many were upset that Justin Bieber was not brought on stage for the song they have together which led to a lot of disappointment in the audience. 

Many online sources have been posting their own opinion on this debate. Some have been calling Usher’s halftime show bland, such as Newsweek, explaining, “Some called the performance ‘boring’ while others felt the extravagant set-up was a waste of money.’’

It was also a commonly shared thought that Usher missed many good opportunities that he could have taken with including specific songs or guests that would have made the show more appealing for all ages.

Overall, it’s too subjective to say which performance was truly better. Was it more impressive that Rihanna pulled off that good of a show, which in itself took a lot of skill and stamina, on top of the fact that she performed while pregnant? Or did Usher’s level of crowd excitement beat Rihanna?

No matter your opinion on the performances, ultimately, it is safe to say everyone in the audience remained entertained during halftime.