During his set at Dreamville Fest on Saturday (April 1), Usher played a cruel April Fools’ Day prank on the crowd and promised a performance by Beyoncé.
“You know, I don’t know if you guys listened to some of the interviews that I did before we decided to do this show, but as promised, I said I would have a special surprise for you tonight, ladies and gentlemen,” he told the crowd. “You guys wanna know what that surprise is? Ladies and gentlemen, without further adieu… Put your hands together for the one, the only… Beyoncé.”
He then backed away from his microphone as the backing band stopped playing music, and for a brief moment, Usher toyed with the crowd by making it seem Bey was just off-stage. He walked off for a moment and then returned to the crowd to say with a grimace, “April Fools.”
Usher is so wrong for this April Fools Day prank 😂 #DreamvilleFest
— Complex Music (@ComplexMusic) April 2, 2023
“Put your hands together for the one, the only… Beyoncé.” pic.twitter.com/VvVT7Hj9Lc
When the moment started to circulate online, Usher shared his amusement at the reaction. “It’s still April 1st, right?” he tweeted.
It’s still April 1st right? 🤷🏾♂️🤣 #DreamvilleFest2023 https://t.co/p9jPSRuDMB
— Usher Raymond IV (@Usher) April 2, 2023
While Beyoncé wasn’t a special guest during Usher’s set at Dreamville Fest, he still brought the heat with a packed consisting of over 20 of his biggest hits. Among the tracks he performed included “Caught Up,” “The Matrimony,” “My Boo,” “Bad Girl,” “Burn,” and “Yeah!”
Usher’s #DreamvilleFest set list was ICONIC 💐 pic.twitter.com/cOp9KixkqB
— Complex Music (@ComplexMusic) April 2, 2023
HIT AFTER HIT #DreamvilleFest pic.twitter.com/IULsBqOGIh
— Complex Music (@ComplexMusic) April 2, 2023
Usher performed as the headliner for the first day of Dreamville Fest 2023, which also featured performances from Lil Durk, Ari Lennox, EarthGang, and City Girls. On Sunday, J. Cole and Drake will headline, while Summer Walker, J.I.D, and GloRilla are among the other performers.
