As the countdown begins for the eight-time Grammy winner Usher to grace the stage with his halftime performance at the Super Bowl LVIII, anticipation is building among his super fans. These fans, ranging from the most nostalgic to more recent fans made from his Las Vegas Residency, are left speculating on which song he will choose to open with and how he will conclude the performance. Luckily, Action Network was able to do a comprehensive breakdown of Usher's hit songs and setlists from previous performances to predict the first and last song.
Methodology
By delving into a dataset spanning Usher's live performances from 1992 to 2023, Action Network was able to use meticulous data cleaning of a robust setlist reflecting Usher's career, to count the frequency of each song as the first and last in previous sets.This method uncovered distinct patterns and highlighted the artist's preferences and strategic choices for concert openings and closings.
Results
Suppose you've been a fan of Usher since 1997. In that case, you're in luck because he's predicted to kick off his show with the hit "My Way" from his second studio album, bringing a sense of nostalgia and allowing fans to reflect on how far he's come in his career. Additionally, he's predicted to close his awaited performance with the chart-topping collaboration with David Guetta, "Without You," marking Usher's testament to his versatility and making it a memorable conclusion. Check out the graphs below for a deep dive into the first and last song predictions. 
Viewership
In addition, Usher is set to perform during Super Bowl's highest viewership in history with an estimated 118,364,161 views. Check out the Super Bowl viewership growth since 1967 below. 
With Usher making history by including JungKook, the first ever K-Pop artist to perform at the Super Bowl, along with his highly anticipated setlist, this performance is set to be one for the books.
