John Legend LIVE @ Minneapolis (11.19.08) + ‘Evolver’ REVIEWS
November 20th, 2008
John Legend “Quickly” LIVE @ Minneapolis 11.19.08
John Legend welcoming the Minneapolis crowd with open arms
John Legend performing “Ordinary People”: incredible mood with the song and lighting
John Legend in the spotlight
Bear with me because I’m still recovering from a beautiful concert put on last night in Minneapolis by John Legend and opener, Raphael Saadiq. The Northrop Auditorium on the University of Minnesota campus was the ideal venue for a booming live band and R&B and soul music all night (not to mention walking distance from La Casa de Tibs :D.. I digress). Raphael Saadiq opened up the show with a very energetic set as his two backup singers and himself were dancing and shuffling along to every song. His live band created a jazz feel as well and as people filed in, the crowd was more receptive to Raphael Saadiq, with the highlight coming with Saadiq’s closing song where he got everybody out of their seats clapping.
After an intermission, out came John Legend to a chilling, boxing themed entrance launching into his Get Lifted hit, “Used To Love U”! Legend kept it going throughout the entire show by going from one song to the next with no break and smooth transition from the live band and jazz section. Legend fluctuated between the microphone stand and the piano as he killed song after song, from new hits like “Quickly” (above), “Satisfaction”, “Everybody Knows”, and an energetic performance of “Green Light” to classics like “Heaven” (perhaps my fav. JL song ever), “I Can Change”, and “Slow Dance”, where JL brought out a lucky fan in the first row to come up and slow dance on stage. I’ve seen him do that before and that’s always a hit and Legend was beyond smooth.
As was the case when I saw him in Minneapolis a couple years ago on his previous tour, Legend closed the concert with brilliant song choice and even greater performances. The finale of the concert started with a chilling rendition of “Ordinary People”, where the lights were off except for the spotlight on Legend and the crowd eerily singing along to every word. He then made a speech about the progress of his Show Me Campaign, which ignited a “change is in the air!” exclamation that got the crowd roaring again. He then belted out “If You’re Out There” from the piano, with the big screen in the background displaying images of influential figures throughout history, ending with an image of our next President, Barack Obama, which resulted in perhaps the biggest overall cheer of the night as Legend concluded the song accordingly. He took a bow and seemingly left for good, but came out for an encore ballad of “This Time” (my 2008 R&B jam of the year!) and his usual concluding song, “So High”! Overall, the show was a top-notch performance and I was glad to experience the sounds and booming voice of John Legend in an auditorium atmosphere, compared to the club scene that I experienced last time I saw John Legend live. Even if you’re not a huge fan of John Legend, grab some tickets to enjoy a show unlike any other and a show that promises to entertain and appreciate the wonderful musical talent of John Legend.
1. “Ordinary People”
2. “If You’re Out There”
3. “So High”
4. “Everybody Knows”
5. “Good Morning”
I never came through with a review of Evolver when it was released 3 weeks ago and besides my busy schedule, I have to allow some time for John Legend albums to fully set in and some songs to grow on me. In the case of Evolver, I concluded that John Legend comes through with a handful of classics like with any other album, but when considering the entire album as a whole, I feel the rest of the tracks do not live up to that extra level that John Legend has always consistently attained. I would rank Evolver 3rd out of John’s 3 LPs, with Once Again 2nd and the CLASSIC Get Lifted an undisputed number one.
That being said, Evolver is still an above average album that is actually appealing to a wider audience compared to his previous albums. With this album, John Legend wanted to take a different direction and experiment with different sounds and genres of music to show the artist’s evolution (hence the title, if you couldn’t connect it already). At times, Legend executes it flawlessly, like in the duet with Brandy over a new-age Midi Mafia R&B production. The beat really enhances Legend’s booming voice at times that has yet to be explored on his previous two albums. Conversely, I liked Legend’s effort to sing over reggae with “No Other Love” f/ Estelle and while the pair’s voices and the lyrics keep me on that song, the production holds the song back. Normally, Legend would take those lyrics and sing them over a piano or a soulful beat, but decided to branch out into other genres of music throughout the album. I would never say it works for him negatively as his first single, “Green Light” f/ Andre 3000 was his biggest single to date and was a solid track over a poppy beat, but I think the hardcore John Legend fans like myself would prefer an album where Legend sticks to what he does best: belting over a piano or soul productions.
I admire John Legend’s exploration of the limits of his artistic ability by trying to reach many genres of music, and while that is necessary for artists to explore to keep things fresh, I feel it also held back Evolver from reaching the high status of Get Lifted or Once Again. However, those two albums are pretty high standards so compared to what else is out there, Evolver is typically above the rest. It’s funny how fans always urge artists to explore outside their comfort zone, but sometimes once they do, they never wanted them to leave that comfort zone in the first place. I guess I fall in line with that generality, but I also recognize the double edged sword for Legend because if he did an album a lot like his previous two, then fans and critics would complain that he’s not extending himself as an artist. Interesting, huh? Whatever the case, Evolver has more than enough tracks that appeal to fans of his previous albums while also featuring a lot of tracks that appeal to many genres of music and will open long-time John Legend fans to another side of the artist. Pick up the album below, if you haven’t already, and peep one last lyric from the influential “If You’re Out There”!
“No more broken promises
No more call to war
Unless it’s love and peace that we’re really fighting for
We can destroy hunger
We can conquer hate
Put down the arms and raise your voice
We’re joining hands today
Oh I was looking for a song to sing
I searched for a leader
But the leader was me
We were looking for the world to change
We can be heroes
Just go on and say
If you’re out there
Sing along with me
If you’re out there
I’m dying to believe that you’re out there
Stand up and say it loud
If you’re out there
Tomorrow’s starting now
Now, now”
- John Legend “If You’re Out There”
08. This Time
05. Quickly f/ Brandy
13. If You’re Out There
03. It’s Over f/ Kanye West
04. Everybody Knows
Production: 8/10
Lyrics: 9/10
OVERALL (not an average): 8.5/10
BUY: John Legend - Evolver [iTunes]
~ Sgt. Tibs
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