Usher Pulled Off A Controversial Beyoncé Prank During An April Fools’ Day Show

Usher played more than just his greatest hits at Dreamville Fest 2023. During the R&B star’s Saturday night headlining set on April 1, he teased concertgoers with “a special surprise” — but the joke was on them. “Ladies and gentlemen, without further ado, put your hands together for the one, the only, Beyoncé,” Usher announced, as the crowd at Raleigh, North Carolina’s Dorothea Dix Park, erupted in thunderous cheers.

They probably should have checked the date on their tickets, though. The anticipation continued to build as more seconds passed with no sign of Queen Bey. After keeping the act going by focusing his attention backstage, Usher finally stepped back to the mic and said, “April Fools.” The singer even shared the practical joke with fans at home, later posting the clip on Instagram with the caption, “It’s still April 1st right?”

The practical joke carried an extra sting for some, though, particularly the Beyhive. “Usher ain’t right for that April Fools prank ... He about to have the BeyHive mad at him lol,” one fan tweeted, while another added that the “brave” singer was “lucky the beehive didn’t rush the stage.” Others joked about throwing phones and suing for emotional distress. Added yet another person, “Usher knows he’s wrong for this! Some Bey Stan probably fainted behind this.”

Meanwhile, others appreciated Usher’s sense of humor and could laugh at themselves for falling for the prank. “Yoooo I wish I could have been there to see usher prank y’all with Beyoncé. That’s the best prank I’ve heard all day,” another fan wrote. Seeing the crowd go wild had some who were streaming Usher’s performance at home on Prime Video “crying” — though likely for a very different reason than those who were “jumping and screaming” in excitement.

Perhaps surprisingly, festivalgoers didn’t turn on Usher, despite the cruel joke about his “Love in This Club Part II” collaborator. “Usher is one of a rare few artist that could get away with this Beyoncé prank and the crowd still be on his side during a performance,” another Twitter user aptly observed. After all, Usher made up for the tease by bringing out two actual surprise guests — City Girls’ Yung Miami and JT — with whom he treated the crowd to a performance for their 2022 hit “Good Love.”

Ultimately, the Grammy winner deemed his performance a success, captioning an April 2 Instagram post, “The energy last night man…unexplainable. U showed me so much love and I love u more.”

Also on the Dreamville Fest lineup: Drake, J. Cole, Summer Walker, Lil Durk, Ari Lennox, Glorilla, Burna Boy, and Waka Flocka Flame. However, Beyoncé, who’s gearing up for her Renaissance world tour, did not — nor was she ever scheduled to — perform at the music festival, despite whatever trick Usher had up his sleeve.