1/26/07, 5:52 pm EST

Assignment Three Finalist: Jennifer Tibbett on John Legend (L.A.)

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Note: This is not an official Rolling Stone article. What follows is a submission to the “I’m From Rolling Stone” writing competition.

JOHN LEGEND - 1/10/07

by Jennifer Tibbett
Age: 20

The lights were dimmed as the now-sweaty John Legend crooned into the microphone “Tonight I wanna dance/ Can you do that with you man yeah/ Tonight I wanna groove/ and let the music make you move…”. Swaying his hips to the sensual beat, he beckoned for a woman in the front to come onstage and slow dance with him, winking at her as her ecstatic friends all-but shoved her onto the steps. Between giggles and blushing, she managed to do a little slow dancing with the grinning Legend. On January 10th, the Nissan Live Sets stage on the MGM studios lot in Los Angeles was packed with approximately 400 concertgoers eager to see a free taping of the soulful R&B artist in an intimate venue.

The show had no opening bands, no drunken revelers, no stoned audience members; it was by far the cleanest, most organized operation this reporter has ever attended. Legend opened with “Heaven” from his highly-acclaimed sophomore album “Once Again”: as his edgy (yet tailored and gorgeous) band and back-up singers began the first chords, Legend slowly glided up to the top of the stage. Clad in a white leather motorcycle jacket and stylish jeans, Legend was the perfect soul singer; suave, refined, passionate, and oozing raw sexuality with every pitch-perfect note. The concert was short with a repertoire of only eight songs, but Legend delivered, whether cradling the microphone or working the piano keys. The show ended with “Ordinary People”, the biggest hit off of his freshman album “Get Lifted”, and as Legend
gracefully sung about the imperfections of love, it was hard to doubt him ever falling short of his surname.