Support for the evening came in the form of Judith Hill, a stalwart musician who’s backed the likes of Elton John, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. As soon as she opened her mouth, it rang of her own superstardom in the imminent future. A rendition of I’ll Be There kicked things off, a dropped spotlight draped over her already glowing self, seated at a grand piano.
Soon continuing onto her own material, Judith’s power exuded not just from her amazing, Aretha Franklin-esque voice, but from the way she gripped the piano keys with a passion to be reckoned with. Her vocal range was beyond impressive and she never put a note wrong. This emotional and soulful journey through her sound created the perfect concoction for goosebumps that found themselves flowing up your body to tingle the back of your brain.
Judith moved into more bluesy tones with the piano, a heartbreaking hum and lyrics of painful love lacing an intense production. Jamming in the Basement was a highlight, a down-to-earth, lively jam with all the energy of a seasoned professional that landed you clutching a martini in an underground fifties jazz club. Her final tune Beautiful Life was something special too – she turned the whole room to butter, preaching a message of encouragement through a belting hook that resonated to the point of watering eyes. A perfect warm-up for Mr. Legend.
He entered to a brimming hall of applause, beginning with Made to Love alongside his gradually brought-in band – two violins, one viola, a cello, double bass, electric guitar and drums. An endearing start which naturally fell into Tonight (Best You Ever Had) to charm the audience into softly singing along with him. From the beginning we knew the evening was going to get deep, and our John reminded us with his silky charisma.
Still titillating his piano, he told us the tale of his dream detour as a management consultant and gigs with five audience members, two of which were bartenders. He wound his way around his life’s upward journey through snippets of his work on tracks including Lauren Hill’s Everything is Everything, Jay-Z’s Encore, Slum Village’s Selfish and Alicia Key’s You Don’t Know My Name. Finally signed to Kanye’s label in 2004, Legend was able to release his debut album Get Lifted and accompany West on his tour, where he sang Used to Love U to an unresponsive audience. “Now, things are different,” he says, initiating the song.
Legend’s demeanour on stage is nothing short of dazzling. He knows exactly what buttons to push and when to push them, hypnotising the audience and stirring collective giggles on cue. With polished, Disney stares into the distance before bursting into effortlessly tuneful cries, he’s made for the stage. When he rises to his feet for the Mayfield-penned Let’s Do It Again, his sensual confidence induces girlish screams from around the room.
Back on the piano, the lights dimmed for Save the Night, and the lanterns dotted around the stage flashed intermittently with the music, creating quite a spectacle. Maxine told the story of an unfaithful partner before Legend tells us that, unbeknown to him before writing the song, his grandma’s middle name was Maxine, and she was so happy that he’d used that name. John wasn’t sure that she’d listened to the lyrics too closely, whipping up another round of laughs. He went on to tell us how he constructs a song; firstly by laying down a hook on the piano and singing gibberish until he knows exactly what it is he wants to say. The demonstration of this was hilarious, insightful and heart-melting, all rolled into one.
The instrumentalists on strings performed a beautiful solo set before Save Room was serenely recited. Everybody was on their feet for Green Light, All Night Long and Who Do We Think We Are before taking a seat for more storytelling. Brought up in the Pentecostal church with a pastor for a granddad, his other grandma taught him gospel piano from a young age and died before he could show her how far he’d come. His dedication to her, Bridge over Troubled Waters, called for a few hankies to be pulled out as Legend’s intricacy tickled tear ducts around the room. Final numbers You and I, Caught Up and Ordinary People begged for starry-eyed sing-a-longs as inhibitions left the building, along with the man himself.
The encore track All of Me lead to smooches on every row and love swirled from the lower floor to the top balcony. His first number one in the US, the song is timeless, romantic classic we’ll be hearing for years to come and left everyone elated, exiting the building still singing the hook.
As you’d expect, every song was wonderfully arranged and on-point throughout the evening. Judith Hill and John Legend prove that a lifetime dedicated to the musical craft pays off in ways that can’t be bought. Their determination to rise in a difficult industry shone through with power, control, and an ability that elevates them to pedestal position to musicians worldwide.
I was just gutted that I forgot to bring a rose to lob on stage.
John Legend and Judith Hill played at the Nottingham Royal Concert Hall, as part of John Legends’ All of Me Tour, on Friday 10 October 2014
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