John Legend always seems to be fresh off of something – a Grammy win, a platinum album, a talk-show appearance. At the Wells Fargo Theatre on Tuesday night, he seemed refreshed and energized, the screaming audience hanging on his every sandpapery note.
Corinne Bailey Rae, a British neo-soul/ jazz vocalist with a powerful voice that belies her graceful, diminutive figure, opened the show on a wide, light-splashed stage. The eight-piece band revved the crowd up instantly, its crystalline sound never overpowering her smooth vocals.
Flanked by horns, keyboards, guitarists and backup singers, she offered up such agreeable tunes as “Till It Happens to You” and “I Won’t Let You Lie to Yourself.”
Despite cellphone-addled audience chatter, Rae eventually commanded attention with songs like the Carole King- leaning “No Love Child,” which featured thick standup bass and scorching New Orleans-style trumpet.
During the Led Zeppelin cover “Since I’ve Been Loving You,” the purple stage lights cast huge shadows on the backdrop, lending the scene a mood out of “Fantasia.” Closing song “Seasons Change” channeled a ’70s Stevie Wonder vibe, Rae’s radiant stage presence bringing home the lush melodies.
Legend’s three backup singers took the darkened stage before him, the audience erupting into calls and yelps. When the Grammy-winning headliner appeared, clad in a black suit, tasteful T-shirt and white sneakers, the women in the crowd lost it.
Legend split the set between songs from his two albums, “Get Lifted” and last year’s “Once Again.” The smooth R&B songs blended well with his straightforward piano work, although his shiny black Yamaha was sometimes lost amid thumping drums and careening horns.
Seldom was each component of the 11-piece band audible in the bass-heavy mix. The Wells Fargo Theatre’s sterile acoustics could use a bit of tweaking.
Legend’s dry yet powerful vocals were also occasionally lost in the din, although as he worked through such songs as “Heaven,” the soulful “Stereo” and the bland new single “Save Room,” he balanced volume with nuance.
The set was barely half over by press time – disappointing considering that the rumored Rae/Legend duet, a reprise of the duo’s Grammy pairing, hadn’t happened yet. But the crowd seemed ready to continue adoring Legend for the rest of the night, and with good reason.
