In one of the most flawless performances I’ve ever attended, John Legend gave a great show at the Mann last night. With no opening act and no introduction, he and his musicians walked on stage and entertained a near full house of extremely diverse fans, both in age and race.
It’s rare that a live act, especially outdoors, hits all the concert elements perfectly. His stage was beautiful, the music clear- not too loud, not too soft - and you could hear every syllable coming out of his mic. The stage lighting was amazing.
I’m not one of John Legends biggest fans but I can’t hate on his show. If you are a fan, he certainly didn’t disappoint as the crowd cheered his every breath. To my surprise, he did perform my favorite Legend song, Again, which I didn’t think rated to be included in his show, but he gave a back story and a beautiful arrangement.
For me, his song selection was more suited for a piano bar or lounge and not the big stage. Even the fast songs got ‘loungey’. Green Light followed by Michael Jackson’s Rock with Me didn’t have the dance tune pop I thought the show needed to step away from ballads for a while. The absence of background singers made me tire of hearing him all night but John Legend gave a John Legend show and his fans loved it. That’s all that matters, right?
I do think John Legend is a brilliant song writer but I’ve heard others do his songs more to my liking than him. And my favorite Legend album, Wake Up, didn’t garner a single song.
If you like John Legend, check out his live show. It’s great.
Did he do "All of Me"? That's enough for me.
ReplyDeleteHe wasn't going to do it unless you screamed and hollered for him to come back on stage for an encore. If it were the typical black crowd, he would not have sang it cause you know how we don't demand an encore.
DeleteI'm so much of a non fan, I forgot about that song. I was ready to go. However, it was his biggest dance number as couples slow danced all around the Mann to All of Me.