Usher performed at Kool Haus last Saturday night for a capacity crowd of 2,150 on his 14-city One Night Stand: Ladies Only club tour. The R&B singer began the concert with “Intro” and “Love in This Club” from Here I Stand.

more photos after the One Night Stand…

I guess sluggish sales (just over a million copies) of Here I Stand  hampered the talented singer to sell out 10,000-plus seaters this time around. Usher sold out the Air Canada Centre twice in 2004 on the strength of nine million disc-selling, four No. 1 singles-yielding Confessions.

Was it poor promotion to blame or a disinterested base of giddy girls who were not ready for the all-grown-up Usher who appeared on magazine covers with his wife and infant son? I know I get that with David Beckham tagging along Posh Spice and their boys. Oops here goes my confession!

Usher rehired his mom-manager Jonnetta Patton, who’d guided his career since he signed his first record contract at 14 and whom he’d abruptly replaced last year because of his wife.

The real question is whether this much smaller tour can help resurrect his diminished brand? Only time will tell.

There was no mention of his wife or his baby during the show, and as reports by The Star also Usher wasn’t wearing a wedding ring. Instead he did the usual Usher, he’s onstage canoodling with a fan and a bikini-clad dancer grinding her butt inches from his face. Yes, he still has those sporting washboard abs!

I love Usher’s music that hasn’t changed even though I was so hoping he would drop another album earlier but surely it’s worth the wait, it’s Usher!

photos: Usher/MySpace, PR Photos