After conquering Las Vegas with two blockbuster residencies and delivering a spectacular Super Bowl halftime performance in 2024, Usher could easily have taken a well-deserved break. Instead, the eight-time Grammy Award-winning artist, with more than 150 million records sold worldwide, launched his ninth studio album Coming Home and announced a full-scale global arena tour — aptly titled “Past Present Future.”

Overwhelming fan demand saw the tour expand to an impressive 83 dates across North America, Europe, and the Middle East, playing to more than a million fans. Each show celebrated the R&B icon’s three-decade career, combining his trademark choreography, dazzling visuals, and even a high-energy roller-skating sequence — all reinforced by the power and precision of a Cohesion Audio sound system; with technicians from Clair Global, alongside Sound Image and Britannia Row Productions, collaborating to deploy the system and ensure flawless consistency for one of the most ambitious and sonically refined pop tours of the decade.

Front of House Engineer Demetrius Moore, who joined the tour at its sixth stop in Brooklyn’s Barclays Center, mixed on a Cohesion system for the first time that night. “I was in front of 18,000 people with a new PA on a tour that had already started — talk about jumping in the deep end!” Moore said. “Once I put in the curve that suited us, it was easy and consistent. Usher is R&B with some hip-hop flare, and this PA can go rock-and-roll, R&B, rap, stadium shows, arenas, whatever you need.”

The tour’s ambitious three-stage design was matched by an equally formidable Cohesion PA configuration. Each venue featured 16 units of the CO12 line array modules per side on the mains, side hangs, and 270° hangs, with line lengths extended to 18 units for larger venues. A VIP section positioned between the main stage and B stage was covered by 4 units of the CO10 elements flown as downfills.

In one of the tour’s most unique design choices, all 24 units of the CP218 II+ subwoofers were deployed in a circular cardioid configuration beneath the B stage. “The main hangs were almost dead centre of the arena, and this circular position worked well with that PA placement,” explained System Engineer Frank Peoples. “It dispersed outward from the middle of the arena and covered very nicely. Demetrius knew when to use the subs and when not to. It was comfortable. We even pulled back, and I was blown away how it covered the room.”

Moore echoed the sentiment: “On my desk, it was pulled back too, and it still filled the arena. That circle sub configuration packed a punch in combination with the tops. It could kick someone in the teeth if we wanted to! The subs are so musical. They’re completely different than what I was expecting.”

Complementing the system were Cohesion CF28 point-source loudspeakers that were used as fills, which Peoples described as “nicely shaped, so we hung them under the stage from the lighting tray, which was perfect for us. They had plenty of power and were easy to EQ, especially with the preset. I just loved their tone.” Typically, 14 units of the CF28 were used — seven positioned along the outside of the main stage and another seven in the pit. The system design was led by Cohesion’s Dave Shatto, Lead Application Engineer for Touring.

“This was my first big tour on Cohesion,” said Peoples. “I was never worried about clarity, coverage, tonality, or horsepower, and I’d use it on any genre of music. I feel like it’s capable of doing anything.”

The PA’s clarity also fostered closer collaboration between artist and engineer. “Usher was very hands-on,” Moore shared. “He came to FOH to give notes on a few songs and explain how certain sounds were created on the albums, so I went to those channels, got that EQ, and locked it in.” Peoples added, “The PA was so clean and clear. It was nice to be able to hear piano keys, guitar riffs, the horns, the tap of the hi-hat. It’s an honest PA, so when the mix is good, it’s going to step up your game. You can do whatever you want with this PA.”

Across 83 sold-out nights, the “Past Present Future” tour proved to be a masterclass in production and performance — from the precision of the mix to the emotion of Usher’s vocals. The Cohesion system not only met the show’s technical demands but elevated the experience for every listener in the arena. As Peoples summed up, “I was never worried. It’s capable of doing anything.”