By: Sarah Murphy
Not many artists today can transition from bass-thumping dance music to soft piano ballads as seamlessly as John Legend. The Ohio native took the stage at the beautiful Fox Theatre to an animated sold out crowd November 1. There was singing, dancing, and a whole lot of love in the room that night.
The opening act for the show was Tamar Braxton. Hilarious and talented, Tamar was the perfect addition to the Made To Love tour and the crowd adored her.
The African tribal drums started and Legend opened with” Made To Love,” the debut single off of his fourth album Love in the Future. His voice remained flawless throughout the entire two and a half hour set. He played new music mixed with his older hits like, “Ordinary People” and “Green Light.” During “Ordinary People,” he walked through the crowd and we sang it along with him. On several occasions the aisles were flooded and we turned the Fox into one big dance hall.
He gave his band a break and took to the piano for a stunning acoustic set towards the end of the show. He covered Bruce Springsteen’s hit, “Dancing in the Dark,” and told the story behind it. He performed it on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon during Springsteen Week and hoped The Boss would take notice. More than a month went by and he received a note signed by Springsteen asking if he would perform the song during a tribute to him at the Grammys.
The standout moment from the show was when Legend came back for his well-deserved encore and played the ode to his new wife Chrissy Teigen, “All of Me.” The gorgeous video rolled behind the romantic songwriter as he played the piano. It was filmed in Cuomo, Italy, right before they got married. When their wedding footage aired at the end of the video, the room that was silent and in awe of the beauty of the song and the purity of his voice, roared. If you have never seen John Legend live, you should definitely make it the next addition to your bucket list.
Setlist:
Made to Love
Tonight
Who Did That to You (from Django Unchained)
Used to Love U
Love in the Future (intro)
The Beginning…
Open Your Eyes
Let’s Get Lifted
Number One
Save Room
Hold On Longer
Save the Night
Tomorrow
Green Light
Dreams
Dancing in the Dark (Bruce Springsteen cover)
Ordinary People
Heaven
Everybody Knows
Angel
You & I (Nobody In The World)
Asylum
Never Too Much (Luther Vandross cover)
Caught Up
So High
Encore
All Of Me
Who Do We Think We Are
Tamar Braxton
John Legend
