John Legend awes Shanghai with Darkness and Light Tour

Cause all of me, loves all of you. Love your curves and all your edges, all your perfect imperfections.

If you keep up with popular music and the Billboard Hot 100 list, chances are, you’ve sung those lyrics in your mind. Performed by famous American singer John Legend, “All of Me” was first released in August 2013. In May 2014, this single reached the number one spot on the Billboard and became the third most sold song in all of that year. Though most commonly recognized for this hit, John Legend has released a total of 5 studio albums since his debut in 2004, the most recent being Darkness and Light. With a total of 12 songs, this 2016 album includes “Love Me Now,” “Overload,” and more. John Legend kicked off his Asia tour in Shenzhen, China on March 6th and will end in Bangkok on the 23rd. Held in the Mercedes-Benz Arena on March 8th, Shanghai was the singer’s second stop. Legend performed a few other singles from his previous albums, ranging from his most popular songs like “Ordinary People” to lesser known ones like “Green Light” (Darkness and Light Asia Tour Edition available on QQ Music). The concert lasted from 8:00 pm to 9:50 pm, and John Legend’s voice surely stunned his audience with awe.

For all 18 years of my life, I’ve never been to a concert. In a sudden burst of the best kind of impulse, I was given the opportunity to watch a concert in the city I’ve lived in for the last 12 years. I was more familiar with John Legend than many others: I’ve listened to quite a few of his lesser-known songs, and my ringtone is his single “P.D.A.” Though I’m not a devoted fan, I knew that he was a singer with a great voice, a voice that could give the audience goosebumps. Having only heard two or three of his songs from Darkness and Light, I spent the day playing the album on repeat. It consisted of some really great songs, and among them I especially favored “Overload” (highly recommend!).

After soccer practice and a quick dinner on Thursday, I headed for the concert. I invested in some overpriced glow-sticks and proceeded to my seat. The area where I sat was situated in front of the stage, in the further region. This gave me quite a good view of the stage as well as the entire arena. As time passed, more and more people were seated and at 8:00 pm sharp, the show began. My expectations, though high, were exceeded. Starting off with “I Know Better,” the first note that John Legend sang literally shook me. He was one of those rare singers that sounded even better live than on record. The show was also very obviously not lip-synced, and Legend barely took rests in between, other than to change into a new suit. His consistently beautiful singing convinced me that he was indeed a legend, wonderfully talented at what he does.

It wasn’t just a concert though, as the singer spoke of important issues to introduce some of his songs. Speaking in an almost musical way, Legend mentioned the importance of gratitude and love, the topic of racism, and social media. As many people of the crowd held their phones up to record or take photos of the concert (me included), John Legend reminded the audience to put down their phones and live in the moment. This then continued into his performance of “Overload”, which is specifically related to that topic. Hearing my newly-favorite song of the album live was more than great for me. It touched me so much so that I defied John Legend’s words and recorded a part so I wouldn’t forget just how soothing it was to my ears. I swayed to the the band’s music and Legend’s voice, and cheered on the top of my lungs despite of funny glances from a few around us. This continued till the end of the show, which left me buzzing with excitement as well as the best first concert experience I could have asked for.

Featured Image Courtesy of Andy Dou