Usher has announced Tuesday, Sept. 2, the complete list of cities he will be stopping through this fall for his upcoming "The UR Experience" tour.
The 27-city tour, which will feature August Alsina and DJ Cassidy as special guests, will kick off on Nov. 1 in Montreal, with the first U.S. show coming three days later in the Detroit area. The tour will end on Dec. 14 in Tampa, USA Today reported.
"The UR Experience," which is Usher's first tour in three years, will feature a setlist of hits covering his 20-year discography, according to Billboard.
"With 'The UR Experience,' I want to give my fans an ever-changing live show full of surprises and special guests," Usher said in a statement. "I am really excited to be with my fans and give them an Usher experience like they've never seen or heard before."
Aside from the tour, the "The Voice" coach is also busy working on his eighth studio album, which is rumored to be titled "UR." And while speaking earlier this week from his home in Atlanta about his upcoming album and tour, Usher opened up about his alleged attempt to fill Michael Jackson's shoes and his working relationship with Pharrell Williams, The Globe and Mail reported.
"My plan was never to fill Michael Jackson's shoes," said Usher, recalling a moment during his 2010 concert at Toronto's Air Canada Centre where he placed a pair of glittering kicks on the stage and asked the audience if he had permission to wear them. The ice breaker was meant as a tribute to the King of Pop who had passed away less than a year earlier, but was interpreted by many as a bold move to take his place.
"My plan has never been to fill James Brown's shoes, or Jackie Wilson's shoes or Frankie Lymon's or any of the performers who sang and danced," he continued. "Every bit of who I am is a product of where I've been able to stand. And when I say 'stand,' I mean standing on the shoulders of the people who paved the way before me."
Two singles from Usher's upcoming album have already been released: "Good Kisser" and "She Came to Give it to You." The latter was produced by Pharrell Williams, whom he described as an "advocate of real music."
"Me and Pharrell have a long-standing relationship," shared Usher. "He's an advocate for real music, in a time when what is popular may be more simple and may be a little more young and may not feature instruments."
When asked if he teamed up with the "Happy" hitmaker just to chase hits, he answered, "No, my intentions were never to sound like anyone else, and it doesn't feel like anyone else when I'm singing it. When we get together, the music just leads us."
Tickets for "The UR Experience" for select markets go on sale on Sept. 8. Check out the tour's full list of dates here.
