John Legend was no flat note

Jon Ollwerther

As a stopover on his Evolver Tour, five-time Grammy winner John Legend performed at Fairfield’s Alumni Hall this past Saturday. Although Fairfield students were in the minority of the crowd that packed the hall, Legend was nonetheless received with open arms.
Legend’s Columbia Records mate Raphael Saadiq joined him as his opening act. Accompanied by two very energetic dancers in black suits, Saadiq performed hits from his new album ‘The Way I See It’ with incredible energy. The crowd clearly enjoyed his ’60s vibe, and the female part devoured his mid-set striptease.
Saadiq’s catchy, soulful beats and passionate vocals were an excellent appetizer to the shows main act.
As a devoted Legend fan, I had high hopes for this show. I had heard that he was even better live than recorded, and from the first few words Legend sang as he walked on stage, the huge screen behind him glowed with the Evolver logo, it became clear that this was no rumor.
While Legend’s notoriously strong voice can sometimes be mitigated by background instrumentals, hearing it live his talent is unmistakable.
Leading off with a few of his newer tracks such as ‘It’s Over’ and ‘Satisfaction’ to engage his audience, Legend’s crowd seemed captivated by the stunning vocals and high-energy performance, and he eventually segued into older classics such as ‘Slow Dance’ and the Grammy-winning ‘Used to love U.’
His set list was a perfect balance between more upbeat tracks and signature ballads complemented by his impeccable piano accompaniment. His last song was the ‘Evolver’ hit single ‘Green Light,’ the performance of which was met with screams of joy from radio fans.
Legend took his bow and exited the stage, but a few minutes later a single spotlight turned on his piano and then began the familiar first notes of the highly praised ballad ‘Ordinary People.’ Legend played an extended version of ‘People,’ taking care to let his audience sing parts of the chorus by themselves.
Legend ended his show with his relatively new song ‘If You’re Out There,’ which he wrote regarding his work for the Show Me campaign and performed at the Democratic National Convention. The screen behind legend flashed images of iconic figures such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr., ending with President-elect Barack Obama, which was met with an eruption of screams.
As a fan I was thrilled with Legend’s spectacular performance. I am confident that anyone who attended, fan or not, was truly impressed by the singer-songwriter’s talent and charisma and would highly recommend his music to anyone who has not yet discovered it.