Concert Review: John Legend

It was Monday night in Hollywood.

Down at the Emerson Theatre on Hollywood Blvd., however, nine-time Grammy Award-winning R&B; singer John Legend descended the staircase and headed for the piano in the middle of what became his private lounge for 90 minutes.

“You’re just hanging out in my living room tonight,” Legend told the small crowd of a few hundred.

Sitting at the piano, in an all-black suit with a burgundy lapel, Legend welcomed his audience with dim lights covering the barroom. From the first stroke of the piano – the lone accompaniment to the night’s soulful timbre – Legend lived up to his name by hosting the intimate crowd through 15 delicate and emotionally romantic tunes, ranging from his earliest work to that of his latest album, “Love in the Future.”

The concert, presented by Citi for its ThankYou cardholders and benefiting Teach For America, demonstrated the raw vocal talents of Legend, as well as his prowess at the piano and his ability to craft dynamic and memorable love songs.

Stripped down to just his voice and piano, Legend framed his performance into a “living room” display of the musician. Oftentimes, muttering the next song’s riff, Legend related stories from his humble beginnings, when he would performed empty gigs at locations around New York City while working as a management consultant, to memorable anecdotes from his childhood in Ohio.

Legend’s set began with “Made to Love,” the second single off “Love of the Future.” Punching out the piano riff, Legend’s voiced echoed and caromed off the walls, presenting a soulful R&B; version of the song, a significant departure from its heavily produced studio album version.

Moving backward, Legend reached through his catalog with “Used to Love U,” his debut single off of 2004’s “Get Lifted.” Retelling the story of performing the song when he and Kanye West were opening on tour with Usher, Legend’s impressive falsetto and spirited execution on the piano, as his head rolled back to take a peek at the crowd singing along, revived the track.

Following “Used to Love U,” Legend began fiddling with his instrument, recounting the composition of his next track, “Again,” from his sophomore album, “Once Again.” Legend transported his houseguests back to his L.A. recording studio, devising the song’s melody by adding gibberish phrases to hold the tune together before finding the right words to supplant his mumbling with the final product.

“Each time you call me home in a sweet refrain/ Saying things will change, you’ll take away the pain,” Legend crooned as the lyrics of “Again” poured out across the room. “Then we flash back to the first time you put your spell on me/ You envelope me, you feel good as hell to me.”

Other highlights of the night included Legend’s R&B; cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark,” which Legend first performed with The Roots on “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.”

Legend’s rendition, bringing a neo-soul feel to the classic rock tune, was further outdone by the vocalist’s cover of Aretha Franklin’s gospel-inspired version of Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” which Legend said he learned to play from his grandmother, who taught him to play piano. Legend’s powerful, mature voice over his patient and restrained piano brought a distinct feel to an already stirring tune.

Finishing off the intimate night with performances of his most well-known tracks, Legend slowly rolled into the Grammy Award-winning “Ordinary People.” Legend’s emotionally raw performance signaled the winding down of an unadorned night in which all that was needed was a harmonious voice and a delightfully attacked piano.

But before letting his company retreat into the Hollywood night, Legend ended the showcase with his chart-topping single, “All of Me.” Howling the love ballad along with the audience, Legend closed the night with thunderous approval from his guests, who departed from the singer’s “living room” after a generous reminder of Legend’s soulful and moving abilities.

– Brendan Hornbostel