‘One Of The Most Enjoyable Tours I Have Worked On’: Usher Wraps Euro Leg With Ten O2 Shows In London

Usher’s “Past Present Future Tour” came to an end with two shows at The O2, London, May 6-7 – capping off a sold-out ten-night residency at the iconic venue, with the first eight shows taking place between March 29 and April 11.

The O2 residency alone sold more than 200,000 tickets, contributing to the 300,000-plus tickets sold across the whole UK/Euro leg of the “Past Present Future Tour”, which also visited France, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Across all ten performances, Usher delivered “an arena-scale production packed with vocal precision, signature choreography, multiple costume changes and a standout 15-minute skating sequence,” according to a press release sent out after the closing of the tour.

The shows features surprise appearances from Naomi Campbell, Eve, Craig David, T.I. and Tiwa Savage, as well as an impressive list of hits released across a three-decade career, including Usher’s debut single “Call Me A Mack”, “Nice & Slow”, “Confessions Part II”, “Love in This Club”, “Yeah!”, and many more.

“Each performance was both a career retrospective and a forward-looking celebration of an artist still pushing the boundaries of live performance,” according to the press release.

John Giddings, who booked the shows in his capacity as EU touring consultant for Live Nation, told Pollstar about the shows, “it was incredible. A brilliant show for two-and-a-half-hours. He is a true professional to work with, he even flew back to NY overnight for the Met Gala. One of the most enjoyable tours I have worked on.”

Usher is a commitee member for the Met Gala. He also left Europe in between shows to headline a major show in Abu Dhabi.

The London shows were his first at The O2 in a decade. His last appearance at The O2 served as the finale of his “UR Experience” tour that played 48 cities in North America and Europe in 2014 and 2015. That performance on March 26, 2015 drew 15,477 fans and grossed over $1.37 million, the most at any one venue on the tour, based on boxoffice results reported to Pollstar.

Usher commented, “over 200,000 people showed up for me here in London. That’s something I’ll never forget. I’ve been doing this for 30 years, but the energy you gave me each night felt brand new. It’s been 10 years since I last performed in this city, and to come back like this. I don’t take it lightly. Every night I looked out into that crowd and saw faces that have been with me from the start, and faces I’m just meeting now. That’s what keeps me going. This show wasn’t just mine, it was yours too. I couldn’t have done any of it without the fans who showed up time and time again. Thank you for making this moment so powerful.”

Emma Bownes, senior vice President of venue programming, AEG Europe, said, “Usher is undeniably one of the world’s biggest stars and for ten exclusive nights, he brought the glitz, excitement and spectacle of Vegas to The O2. Over 200,000 enjoyed this incredible show from this artist absolutely at the top of his game. This ten night residency will be a moment in the venue’s history that will always be remembered.”

This most recent return to Europe followed the massive success of Usher’s 2024 North American tour, which featured nothing but sell-outs, as the Pollstar Boxoffice proves.

Some highlights include four sold out concerts at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA, Sept. 21-25, moving a total 45,034 tickets at a $8,273,777 gross; three American Airlines Centers in Dallas, TX, Oct. 3-5 (40,688 tickets, $9,275,570 gross); or four sold-out Barclay Centers in Brooklyn, NY, Sept. 6-10 (58,041 tickets, $10,735,489 gross).

With ticket sales reported from 54 concerts, 2024 North American leg of the “Past Present Future Tour” racked up a boxoffice haul of $120.8 million from 738,998 sold tickets.

The Australian leg of Usher’s “Past Present Future Tour” will kick off in November, marking his long-awaited return to Australia for his first solo headline tour since the “OMG Tour” in 2011.

Highlights from that tour, taken from the Pollstar Boxoffice, include five sold-out shows at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, March 19–April 2, which sold a total 62,075 tickets across all shows, grossing $7,533,844.

Usher is signed to RCA Records, and represented worldwide by WME. He’s managed by Laffitte Management Group.

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