The R&B chart-topper, Usher, will hold his first Middle East concert in Dubai this spring.
Tickets will be on sale from this morning for the March 10 concert at the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre, which will be the only stop in the region for his upcoming OMG World Tour.
The Grammy award winner will be promoting two albums released earlier this year, Raymond V Raymond and Versus.
The show was significant because it not only demonstrated demand for live R&B music in Dubai, but also the region's ability to draw big names, said Gordon Masson, the live-concert critic for London-based Music Week magazine.
"More mainstream acts like Usher are starting to recognise the Middle East as a credible market, and that shows that promoters are now able to get the A-list acts," he said. "A lot of people see him as the heir apparent of Michael Jackson, and he's based his career on that, so it must be exciting for the region."
Thomas Ovesen, the chief operating officer for the tour's promoter, Done Events, called Usher "one of the best hit makers in the industry".
"People in this region love Usher's music and I can't think of a more requested performer that hasn't yet played here," he said.
Usher, 31, began his music career in 1994 after being discovered on the US television show Star Search. His second album in 1997, My Way, sold more than seven million copies and catapulted him to stardom.
He has since sold more than 50 million albums, won 17 Billboard Music Awards, eight Soul Train Music Awards and five Grammy Awards. The multi-platinum recording artist has enjoyed 13 consecutive Top 20 singles, seven of which were number one hits.
Raymond V Raymond held the number one spot on Billboard's R&B chart for seven weeks and includes the radio hit OMG, featuring hip-hop singer will.i.am. The song's music video was nominated for MTV's Best Dance Video, Best Male Video and Best Choreography awards.
Tickets for the show are expected to be available through the website, www.usherdubai.com. Regular admission is Dh295, while tickets for the front pit are Dh495 and the VIP lounge costs Dh995.
Tickets also became available online this week for the concerts of Amy Winehouse and Pharrell Williams's band N*E*R*D in February, which Done Events is also promoting. Offline tickets for the shows, to be held at the 15,000-capacity Dubai Festival City concert arena during Gulf Bike Week, should be available sometime next week, the event's organisers said.
General admission for the N*E*R*D show on February 10, with special guest Mike Posner, costs Dh250. The Amy Winehouse concert the following night is Dh300. Tickets for the Rockstar Lounge or Golden Circle are Dh500. Those tickets can be purchased at www.gulfbikeweek.com.
Usher's OMG Tour launched in the US in November and has stopped in 25 cities in North America.
econroy@thenational.ae
AS IT STANDS IN POOL A
1. Japan - Played 3, Won 3, Points 14
2. Ireland - Played 3, Won 2, Lost 1, Points 11
3. Scotland - Played 2, Won 1, Lost 1, Points 5
Remaining fixtures
Scotland v Russia – Wednesday, 11.15am
Ireland v Samoa – Saturday, 2.45pm
Japan v Scotland – Sunday, 2.45pm
No Shame
Lily Allen
(Parlophone)
MATHC INFO
England 19 (Try: Tuilagi; Cons: Farrell; Pens: Ford (4)
New Zealand 7 (Try: Savea; Con: Mo'unga)
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More coverage from the Future Forum
Countries recognising Palestine
France, UK, Canada, Australia, Portugal, Belgium, Malta, Luxembourg, San Marino and Andorra
AIR
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EBen%20Affleck%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMatt%20Damon%2C%20Jason%20Bateman%2C%20Ben%20Affleck%2C%20Viola%20Davis%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE SQUAD
Ahmed Raza (Captain), Rohan Mustafa, Jonathan Figy, CP Rizwan, Junaid Siddique, Mohammad Usman, Basil Hameed, Zawar Farid, Vriitya Aravind (WK), Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Zahoor Khan, Darius D'Silva, Chirag Suri
How to wear a kandura
Dos
- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
- Always ask for the dress code if you don’t know
- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
Don’ts
- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
- Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs
- Thursday 20 January: v England
- Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad:
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith
Key figures in the life of the fort
Sheikh Dhiyab bin Isa (ruled 1761-1793) Built Qasr Al Hosn as a watchtower to guard over the only freshwater well on Abu Dhabi island.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Dhiyab (ruled 1793-1816) Expanded the tower into a small fort and transferred his ruling place of residence from Liwa Oasis to the fort on the island.
Sheikh Tahnoon bin Shakhbut (ruled 1818-1833) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further as Abu Dhabi grew from a small village of palm huts to a town of more than 5,000 inhabitants.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Shakhbut (ruled 1833-1845) Repaired and fortified the fort.
Sheikh Saeed bin Tahnoon (ruled 1845-1855) Turned Qasr Al Hosn into a strong two-storied structure.
Sheikh Zayed bin Khalifa (ruled 1855-1909) Expanded Qasr Al Hosn further to reflect the emirate's increasing prominence.
Sheikh Shakhbut bin Sultan (ruled 1928-1966) Renovated and enlarged Qasr Al Hosn, adding a decorative arch and two new villas.
Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan (ruled 1966-2004) Moved the royal residence to Al Manhal palace and kept his diwan at Qasr Al Hosn.
Sources: Jayanti Maitra, www.adach.ae
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
SHALASH%20THE%20IRAQI
%3Cp%3EAuthor%3A%20Shalash%3Cbr%3ETranslator%3A%20Luke%20Leafgren%3Cbr%3EPages%3A%20352%3Cbr%3EPublisher%3A%20And%20Other%20Stories%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5