It may have been 7 degrees outside, but inside the was heating up the stage with a 90-minute, sensual set.
“Sometimes you gotta turn down the lights and turn up the John Legend,” said Legend has he hulked over the gushing audience of equally swooning males and females. Every music generation needs a John Legend. With nine Grammy awards, he leads the pack of sexual strong-men like Tom Jones, Barry White, Teddy Pendergrass and Luther Vandross — men who have provided bedroom music for the last 40 years.
And for an opera house, Legend caused quite the ruckus. Women timed a well placed whistle or scream of “I love you John!” at any break in the music. Even a few men chimed in with, “tickle those keys, John!”
Backed by a full band with guitar, drums, bass, keyboard and two female backup singers/dancers, Legend didn’t waste any time getting to the good stuff. He kicked off the night with “Let’s Get Lifted” and “Number One,” both off his 2004 debut studio album “Get Lifted.” Part way through the show he gave the band a break and sat down at the grand piano to show his true talent on stripped-down versions of “Dreams,”(“Love in the Future,” 2013) “Good Morning,” (“Evolver” 2008) and “Ordinary People” (“Get Lifted,” 2004).
Reaching far beyond the realm of R&B, Legend showed his flexibility with a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark,” a song he recorded last year with the Roots.
Follow our news and updates on , our relationship status on and our search history on . Or send us a telegram.
Evan Semón is a Denver freelance writer and photographer and regular contributor to Reverb. See .
