Grammy-winning R&B artist and pop star Usher performed two shows over the weekend at CFG Arena, bringing some love to his Baltimore fan club.
Some six months after his headlining halftime performance at Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas in February, Usher played for an audience that included high-profile guests like Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.
Scott, who referred to this year’s Super Bowl as the “Usher concert in Las Vegas” after the Ravens’ loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship, and Moore posted to social media video and photos of themselves enjoying the show.
“That moment when one of the world’s best performers comes to one of the world’s best cities,” Moore, who attended the concert with his wife, Dawn Flythe Moore, and their two kids, wrote in an Instagram post that showed Usher giving the governor a shout-out from the stage and meeting the family backstage.
Scott attended the concert with his new wife, Hana Pugh, and later posted about a gift he had made for Usher: a pair of custom-designed roller skates from Baltimore shoe artist Akio Evans.
Usher also headed out to enjoy some Baltimore eats. The pop star dined at Twist Fells Point, a restaurant serving American cuisine with a Mediterranean influence. The eatery, owned by chef Jose Molina, posted on its social media about the Sunday afternoon visit but did not dish about Usher’s menu choices.
Bri Familiare, manager and host for Twist, said the pop icon stopped by for brunch “out of the blue.” She said someone from Usher’s team called and asked about a private table, but on a Sunday afternoon, the restaurant was full.
Without knowing who was coming to dine, she asked if they could wait 10 minutes. When Usher arrived with a small group, Familiare recognized him.
“I said, ‘Oh, it’s you. Nice to meet you.’ And I shake his hand. And he was extremely, very, very nice.”
By then, Familiare had managed to clear out most of the restaurant, and eventually, Usher had the whole room.
She said Usher ordered the huevos rancheros: two sunny-side up eggs on fried corn tortillas with refried black beans, ranchero sauce, cilantro, avocado and queso fresco.
“He was very down to earth, very humble and kind. He treated everyone with respect,” Familiare said. “And he thanked everyone before he left.”
“It was one of those things where fate is involved,” she said. “And nobody noticed him.”
