Lil Jon confirms ‘version’ of Usher halftime show with Justin Bieber, explains why he didn’t perform

When Usher took the stage for his Super Bowl LVIII halftime show on Sunday, he brought out some big-time guests. From H.E.R. to Alicia Keys to Lil Jon and a few others, he played some of his most famous hits with those who joined him on those tracks.

But there was one notable absence – at least, on the stage. Usher was a key feature on Justin Bieber’s song “Somebody to Love,” which peaked at No. 15 on the charts in 2010. According to FanDuel, Bieber had +450 odds of showing up as a special guest. While Bieber was in the stands at Allegiant Stadium, it seemed surprising he wasn’t part of the show itself.

Lil Jon confirmed there were 179 changes to the show throughout the process. In fact, at one point, there was a plan in place if Bieber chose to perform. However, there were a few factors in his decision to stay in the stands to watch one of his close friends take the stage.

“We wanted to put Justin in the show, so we had the idea of doing a version of the show with Justin in it,” Lil Jon told TMZ. “But I think Justin just wasn’t really ready to – that’s a lot of rehearsal, a lot of responsibility, a lot of time and a lot of eyeballs. And I don’t know if he was ready to do all of that.

“But he definitely was there supporting Ush and they are really good friends, and he definitely was supporting him, regardless.”

Lil Jon: Justin Bieber ‘was thinking about’ playing in the halftime show

Lil Jon took part in the performance alongside Usher and Ludacris as they reunited to perform “Yeah!” – which topped the charts in 2004. In addition, will.i.am helped perform “OMG” as part of the roller-skating feature. But there were a few hits that didn’t make the cut, including “Somebody to Love” – which, technically, was Bieber’s song featuring Usher.

Bieber considered joining the guest list, according to Lil Jon. Ultimately, though, he chose to stay alongside his wife and watch with the fans. As Lil Jon noted, playing at the Super Bowl is not a small commitment. That was likely a key factor in Bieber’s choice.

“He was thinking about it,” Lil Jon said. “He was thinking about it, but I think all of the work that goes into it and all of the eyeballs and everything else, I don’t know if he was ready to have that undertaking. Because Justin was just kind of chilling. He was there with his wife, having a good time.

“It’s a lot of time you have to dedicate to being in a show like this. It’s not just, okay, let’s go do one rehearsal and you get on stage – it’s a lot of time that’s dedicated. So I don’t know if he was ready to do all that.”