At more than one point in the night, John Legend had thousands of people in the palm of his hand. If he had suggested through song that we all head to the nearest cliff, we would have fought each other to be the first there.
The man’s voice is the stuff dreams are made off. When Legend sang Bridge Over Troubled Waters he owned Dubai, and we were sold many times over. His soulful rendition of the Simon and Garfunkel classic was just enough to take an audience already rapt with bliss to another level of pleasure.
Legend pulled out some songs from his first album Get Lifted, from 2004, the perfect soul ballad Ordinary People and Used to Love U, and gave us some from his latest album Love in the Future, such as Made to Love and All of Me.
He also lovingly played us the delightfully naughty Tonight (Best You Ever Had) — with the great line “I don’t wanna brag” — which is from the Think Like a Man soundtrack.
But he has every reason to. Legend last performed at the Dubai Jazz Festival in 2009 and his career has exploded since then with last year’s All of Me becoming the singer’s first number one single in the US.
On Friday night that sultry confidence shone through as he sailed through his hits with that voice. Delicious.
The backing singers, the energetic keyboard player and a brass section that even included a flautist, were a fitting match for a voice that ushered the audience into a comfortable delusion that time was standing still.
He brought a Middle Eastern flavour to his biggest hit All of Me, which was a nice touch and a great end to his set. I was hoping for a rendition of his Academy Award-winning song, Glory, but alas, Legend quickly exited the stage and there were no encores. Maybe next time.
Supporting Legend on the night was US jazz musician Esperanza Spalding, who rocked the audience with her incredible vocal range, ending her set with the rousing song Black Gold that, I’m sure, has launched a legion of new fans for the artist. I’m one of them. Check her out.
