Through walls of wind, rain and what could have been debris from Dorothy’s house bodies climbed the hills to on Tuesday to see the calm and collected cool of . Gates opened at 6 p.m. and the storms progressively got worse from there. It got so bad that Stockholm, Sweden singer Mapei’s set was cut from the show entirely. Organizers were calling for a hold in the show until the storm broke before Legend would take the stage. After about 40 minutes of slightly clear skies, the lights went down and the magic began.
Walking to the edge of the stag wearing a perfectly tailored collared shirt and gray brick-styled suit, John Legend was a tranquil eye of the storm. He sat down to play the piano opening with “Made to Love” and dazzled the crowd with stunning vocals. Before he played “Tonight,” Legend told the damp and windswept masses that we’d all get through the rain together. He was right.
This rendition was replete with innuendo and showed quite the sexy side from Mr. Legend. He took a brief break from the charm to take us down memory lane with a medley of songs he’s written and performed for other artists.
Particularly beautiful was Alicia Keys’ “You Don’t Know My Name” where Legend utilized a hit a perfect high note for the chorus. He mentioned having played at Denver’s The Living Room “to a much smaller audience” before playing “Get Lifted.”
The rain had picked up again as he sailed through a story of heartbreak and a woman who cheated named “Maxine.” John Legend took us, it seemed, down a meandering path that showed his evolution as an artistic, loving being.
Keeping with tracks from his sophomore album, “Again” was met with the most beautiful live strings as Legend’s voice did all the heavy lifting. “Save Room” showed off his impeccable piano playing and “Green Light” reminded everyone this show was a party.
Back when John Legend played with Sade at The Pepsi Center just a few short years ago, his background singers were almost like his personal girl-group. On Tuesday he had none. This show was much more intimate, and as an artist, Legend was wildly confident. He spent more time at the piano, giving more texture to the classic “Ordinary People,” and “So High” was made to be played under a Colorado sky.
Though the night was rainy and stormy and cold, Legend had promised we’d make it through. And after he played “All of Me” he left the audience with a flash of a smile that seemed to say, “I told you so.”
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Ru Johnson is an arts and culture music writer living in Denver. You can follow her on Twitter here.
Steve Hostetler is a Denver-based photographer and new contributor to Reverb.
