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How Usher and Chris Brown went from calling each other brothers to cancelling joint-tour dates

Usher and Chris Brown
Usher and Chris Brown have cancelled two upcoming stadium stops in Los Angeles and Miami on their joint R&B Tour.
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  • Usher and Chris Brown's joint R&B Tour has lost two more stadium dates in Los Angeles and Miami.

  • Their relationship reportedly deteriorated after a backstage disagreement during the Atlanta leg of the tour.

  • The latest cancellations follow an earlier fallout at Brown's 2023 birthday party, before the singers reconciled and announced their joint tour.

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Usher and Chris Brown's joint "R&B Tour" has lost two more stadium dates, days after a reported backstage argument in Atlanta reopened a rift that dates back to 2023.

TMZ reported on Tuesday that the pair's 16 November show at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood has been cancelled, with ticket holders to be refunded. Their 6 December show at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami has also been called off. No reason was given. Their 15 November SoFi show is still on.

The two were once close. Brown broke into music in 2005 with Usher already an established star, and the older singer's influence was obvious in Brown's dancing and stage presence. They worked together on ‘New Flame’ in 2014, the ‘Back to Sleep’ remix in 2016 and ‘Party’ later that year. As recently as April 2023, Usher called Brown his "little brother" in a radio interview.

Usher and Chris Brown performing together
Usher and Chris Brown performing together
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That changed a month later, at Brown's 34th birthday party in Las Vegas on 5 May 2023. TMZ footage showed Usher yelling at Brown for allegedly ignoring fellow guest Teyana Taylor. Brown reportedly left, and Usher followed before returning inside with what appeared to be a bloody nose. Both still performed at the Lovers & Friends festival the next day.

The truce came gradually. In October 2025, Usher joined Brown on stage in Atlanta on the Breezy Bowl tour, and Brown called him his brother for life. That month they released a remix of ‘It Depends.’ In April 2026, the pair announced The R&B Tour in a joint video, with Usher saying "It's time" and Brown replying "Hell yeah."

The tour opened in Denver on 26 June and sold well. Atlanta, Usher's hometown, was given a record five nights at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Trouble started on the first night, 5 November. Fans waited nearly three hours, and the two performed separate sets instead of their usual duets. Usher greeted the crowd with a pointed reference to it being his show.

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TMZ later reported that they had argued backstage, with Usher wanting to start on time while Brown wanted to wait for fans stuck in traffic. Brown dismissed the report as "Internet cap" on Instagram, but TMZ sources say the two have not sat down to talk and that things remain icy.

Usher and Chris Brown performing together
Usher and Chris Brown performing together

They did share the stage the next night for two remixes, and Tank said conflict is bound to happen on a long tour. But the cancellations followed. Four dates in Columbia, Baltimore, Cincinnati and Indianapolis were already scrapped in October, with organisers citing the health of the touring party and crew.

Neither singer has addressed the latest cancellations.

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