John Legend

08.12.2014   Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre.

By Craig L Thomson

Sometimes you get a venue that perfectly fits an artist. Tonight, John Legend and the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre is that perfect fit. Even though the room is only three quarters full, probably due to the scheduling of the gig on a Monday night, tonight’s audience is enthusiastic and loud. Legend is cool personified. He is immaculately dressed in a light brown suit jacket, white shirt and black pants, his thin black tie moves with him. He has swagger. His soulful voice would melt the coldest heart and his songs of life, loss, infidelity, love and sex benefit from his bluesy, gospel tinged piano playing.

As the stage darkens a string quartet plays the opening bars of Made to Love, and one by one the small band of bass, drums and guitar join in. Legend appears in the spotlight, smiles, waves and then sits at the piano. Made to Love is the perfect set opener.  The BCEC feel like an intimate piano bar and the audience is being given a one on one performance. After following up with Best You Ever Had, Legend says he wants to “get to know each other better” and leads the attentive crowd through a short explanation of his rise from playing to 5 people in a New York bar to playing for us tonight. Hanging on every word he speaks and note he sings, he plays samples of the collaborations he has done with Lauren Hill, Kanye West,  Jay Z and Alicia Keys, after every snippet saying “that was me” like a young man trying to convince his parents he really is making something of himself. Lets Get Lifted, Save the Night and Maxine serve to show that Legend is nobody’s side man and that his songwriting arguably eclipses that of his early collaborators.

Used to Love You sees Legend sit alone at the piano, joined by the string quartet and quickly turns into a crowd sing-a long. Musicians come and go from the stage during the show, depending on the song. The small band and occasional appearance from the strings, allows for uncluttered arrangements and any other instruments would have gotten in the way of the mood Legend is setting. The one two punch of Michael Jackson’s Rock With You and the slinky groove of Green Light gets the audience on its feet and in a dancing mood.

Legend knows a thing or two about pacing though and realises a good time to bring the audience back down. He tells a touching story about his grandmother who taught him to play piano and then proceeds to play the most soulful version of Paul Simon’s Bridge Over Troubled Water that I have ever heard. The lower key and gospel vocal runs make it sound like an original. Who Do We Think We Are, Caught Up and You and I get the audience swaying and singing again and moves the set towards it’s logical conclusion.

Sitting alone at the piano, Legend enquires “How many of you are on date night?” Judging by the cheers many are. He then says, “Well, I’m not making any promises, but I’m setting you up pretty good.” Big hit All of Me ends the night and there is a lot of love in the air. I walked into this gig with only a passing knowledge of Legend’s music, but I certainly walked out a fan. Thank you Mr John Stephens, you are indeed, a legend.