 | | John Legend in Birmingham |
The Day: Thursday 19th May. The Venue: Birmingham Carling Academy. The event: John Legend performing Live! I arrived with my sister and two friends to a crowd of literally hundreds of people all bursting to enter the club, all hyped up, friendly and
raring to have a great time. And of course nobody or at least I didn’t, leave with any trace of disappointment. What a great voice Starting with the prelude off his Get Lifted album, which has just gone gold in the UK, the crowd immediately started dancing and bobbing along as he eased into song after song. Previous to the show I had thought he had a good voice, after the show I
decided it wasn’t just good it was great. He throttled out the songs so strong and passionately, that his vocal range surprised and delighted me all at once. But it wasn’t just his caressing voice that caught my attention, his sex appeal grew notably a few notches higher too. With sweat pouring and a swing of his head backwards as he fervently played the piano, the passion and love he had for music was undeniable, and was fantastic to experience and be a part of. All tall people stand at the back please  | | John Legend in Birmingham |
The only complaint to be made was a lengthy, and slightly infuriating wait before the show started, but as soon as it did any annoyance soon disappeared. Well actually, there was just one that remained. And that’s that the tallest people in the venue
just had to plant themselves firmly in the front row, and therefore all shorter people, i.e. me, could not see a thing unless on tip toe for the entire show. It could be argued that this was great exercise for the legs, but I propose a height restriction where the tallest are made by law to stand at the back, and the smallest at the front, so that less pain is endured and having to walk, and bend your knees once the show ends! Legend in his element Personal gripes aside, Legend was in his element; he knew how to get the crowd going and was a fantastic performer and singer. A few of the shows best moments came when Legend showcased his other talents, with a genius impression of his uncle Snoop, and renditions of other artists he has previously worked with. His take on Kanye West’s All falls down and Slum Village’s Selfish were simply awesome.  | | John Legend in Birmingham |
As for his own material, Ordinary People was a clear favourite with fans. A fantastic sing-a-long ensued throughout, and as a samba beat kicked in, more vigour and excitement grew from both the crowd and Legend. The whole set was brilliantly performed and sang, right from the backing vocalists and instrumentalists, to Legend himself. The night drew to a close fittingly with a few choice words, as Legend rang out “raise a toast to the days ahead, you can’t take it with you when you’re dead, you might as well enjoy it now instead.” Here Here, ordinary this guy isn’t. | 
