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John Legend performs during opening night of his residency show at Zappos Theater on April 22.
Wednesday, April 27, 2022 | 2 a.m.
At one time or another, John Legend’s route to stardom included stops in Springfield, Ohio, Philadelphia, Los Angeles and Las Vegas.
And each stop along the way is celebrated by Legend in his “Love in Las Vegas” residency, which had its opening night Friday at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood.
Through a mix of video clips, story-telling and song and dance, the fast-paced show put all of Legend’s talents — and much of his biographical history — on display.
After an opening video montage, the curtain rose to Legend at center stage, standing behind a white Yamaha C-7 concert baby grand piano that was placed in front of a set that mimicked a Pentecostal Church — the kind he grew up attending in Springfield, where his grandfather was the pastor, his grandmother was the church organist, his mother was choir director and his father played the drums in the choir.
Backed by an eight-piece band and three singers, and joined by eight dancers cloaked in sparkling silver choir robes for the opening sequence, Legend began with a group of songs that mostly dated to his early solo career, starting with “Used to Love U” from his 2004 album “Get Lifted.” He followed that up in fast-paced order with “Heaven,” released in 2006, “Let’s Get Lifted” (2004), “Penthouse Floor” (2016) and “So High” (2004).
The scene then shifted to a Philadelphia streetscape, recalling where Legend attended the University of Pennsylvania. The sequence included “Alright,” “Can’t Be My Lover,” “She Don’t Have to Know” and “Everything is Everything” — a cover of the song by Lauryn Hill and Legend’s first commercial appearance on an R&B album (1998’s “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill” where the album liner credits him as “John Stephens,” his given name.)
During breaks between songs, he talked about his early days in the business, working with Hill, Alicia Keys and Jay-Z. His big break came when Kanye West discovered him and brought him to the attention of record producers. But it wasn’t until 2004 that he released his first album.
The Philadelphia scene faded and one of the highlights of the show followed. On a part of the stage that extended out into the audience, Legend sat alone at his piano and performed Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water” in a stirring and strong tribute tohis grandmother. “When you hear me play and sing today, you hear my grandmother,” he told the audience.
He followed it up with hits including “Ordinary People” and “U Move, I Move.”
As the stage transformed into a Las Vegas-style showroom, Legend appeared at the top of a lighted stairway, dressed in a Liberace-inspired, floor-length white robe and surrounded by dancers outfitted in showgirl-style dress for a up-tempo rendition of “Ooh La” from his 2020 “Bigger Love” album.
Legend saved his encore to honor his wife, Chrissy Teigen. “She’s inspired a lot of good songs. This one might be the best,” Legend said before closing out with his 2013 mega-hit “All of You.”
A night of high points ended the way it began, with Legend on piano, his full range of vocal and instrumental artistry on display, and one more look into his biographical past.
John Legend’s “Love in Las Vegas” residency continues at 8 p.m. today, Friday and Saturday, and May 4, 6 and 7, with additional dates in August and October at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood. For ticket information, go online to ticketmaster.com/JohnLegendVegas.
