Who Is Opening for Chris Brown and Usher in 2026? Mario and Eric Bellinger
If you're heading to a show on Usher and Chris Brown's R&B Tour and wondering who's opening, the answer for the kickoff was two more R&B names: Mario and Eric Bellinger. They joined Usher and Chris Brown for the tour's first night at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver on June 26.
This isn't a standard headliner-plus-opener bill, though. The R&B Tour is a co-headline where both stars perform full sets, so the supporting talent works differently than it would on a typical stadium tour. Here's how the night runs and who you might catch before and between the two headliners.
Mario and Eric Bellinger at the Denver Kickoff
At the opening show, the supporting performers were both established R&B artists in their own right rather than newcomers.
Mario is a Baltimore R&B singer best known for the 2004 smash "Let Me Love You," one of the defining slow jams of the era, along with hits like "How Do I Breathe" and "Just a Friend 2002." At the Denver show he performed a medley of his songs during the production's intermission break, bridging the two headline blocks.
Eric Bellinger is a Grammy-winning singer-songwriter often called the "Hook King" for his work behind the scenes. He co-wrote Chris Brown's "Fine China" and has written for Usher, Justin Bieber, and many others, on top of a deep solo catalog. He was brought into the festivities at the kickoff as a guest.
Both fit the night's theme perfectly: this is a tour built as a celebration of two decades of R&B, and the supporting acts reinforce that rather than reaching for a crossover pop opener.
Is the Opener the Same Every Night?
Don't assume Mario and Eric Bellinger will be on your date. Because the R&B Tour is a co-headline rather than a tour with one contracted opening act, the supporting guests can change city to city. The Denver kickoff brought out Mario and Eric Bellinger, but other markets may feature different local or special guests.
In other words, the two names you're guaranteed everywhere are Usher and Chris Brown. Any third act is a bonus that varies by night, so check your specific venue listing close to showtime. The Usher and Chris Brown pages on TourWax carry the direct ticket links and current show details for each date.
How the Show Is Structured
The R&B Tour runs about three hours and is built as nine cinematic acts, with Usher and Chris Brown trading the stage back and forth rather than one opening for the other. They walk out together for "Party," then alternate solo runs, joint songs, and a DJ-break intermission across roughly 58 songs.
That structure is why there's no reason to show up late: even the "first" headline block is one of the two biggest names on the bill. If a supporting guest like Mario is on your night, they typically slot into the intermission or an early moment rather than a long pre-show set.
Full First-Show Setlist (Denver, June 26)
Act 1 (Intro): Party
Act 2 (Usher): Yeah!, Caught Up, U Don't Have to Call, Love in This Club, Bad Girl
Act 3 (Chris Brown): Poppin', Wall to Wall, Deuces, Loyal, Go Crazy, Look at Me Now, For the Moment, Run It
Act 4A (Usher): Superstar (teaser), U Remind Me, My Way, U Make Me Wanna, My Boo, Trading Places, Lovers & Friends, Burn
Act 4B (Chris Brown): Residuals, It's Not You It's Me, Fallin' (intro), Fallin', Heat, Warm Embrace, Something in the Water, Privacy, Yo (Excuse Me Miss), Ain't No Way, Say Goodbye, Don't Judge Me, She Ain't You
Act 5 (Mixed): Under the Influence (Brown), Seduction (Usher), Back to Sleep Remix (Brown), Feel Something (Brown), Nice & Slow (Usher), It Depends Remix (Brown/Usher), There Goes My Baby (Usher), Wet the Bed (Brown), Take You Down (Brown)
Act 6 (Intermission): Mario medley
Act 7 (Usher): OMG, Good Kisser, No Limit, Climax, Confessions, Superstar
Act 8 (Chris Brown): Ayo, Obvious, Kiss Kiss, With You, Forever, No Guidance
Act 9 (Finale): New Flame (Brown/Usher)
Setlists evolve over a long stadium run, so expect the song order and guest moments to shift from city to city.
Full 2026 R&B Tour Dates
| Date | City | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| June 26 | Denver, CO | Empower Field at Mile High |
| June 30 | Minneapolis, MN | U.S. Bank Stadium |
| July 2-3 | Detroit, MI | Ford Field |
| July 7 | Cleveland, OH | Huntington Bank Field |
| July 10-11 | Washington, DC | Northwest Stadium |
| July 17 | Charlotte, NC | Bank of America Stadium |
| July 21 | St. Louis, MO | The Dome at America's Center |
| July 25 | Nashville, TN | Nissan Stadium |
| July 28 | Birmingham, AL | Protective Stadium |
| Aug 1 | Syracuse, NY | JMA Wireless Dome |
| Aug 7-8 | East Rutherford, NJ | MetLife Stadium |
| Aug 11-12 | Toronto, ON | Rogers Stadium |
| Aug 17 | Boston, MA | Gillette Stadium |
| Aug 21 | Chicago, IL | Soldier Field |
| Aug 28 | San Francisco, CA | Levi's Stadium |
| Sept 5-6 | Las Vegas, NV | Allegiant Stadium |
| Sept 10 | Dallas, TX | AT&T Stadium |
| Sept 25-26 | Los Angeles, CA | SoFi Stadium |
| Sept 29 | Glendale, AZ | State Farm Stadium |
| Oct 3 | El Paso, TX | Sun Bowl Stadium |
| Oct 5 | San Antonio, TX | Alamodome |
| Oct 9 | Houston, TX | NRG Stadium |
| Nov 7-8 | Atlanta, GA | Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
| Nov 20 | New Orleans, LA | Caesars Superdome |
| Dec 3 | Miami, FL | Hard Rock Stadium |
| Dec 11 | Tampa, FL | Raymond James Stadium |
For the full announcement, on-sale history, and ticket details, see our R&B Tour breakdown. For direct ticket links, check the Usher and Chris Brown pages on TourWax.
Browse more R&B tours or explore all upcoming concerts on TourWax.