Review: John Legend, Hollywood Bowl

From singing backup on Jay-Z’s 2003 The Black Album, to becoming an EGOT Award winning artist and producer, John Legend has had a storied career. This creative genius has release ten albums and has been on tour with his Get Lifted (20th Anniversary Edition) show since late May 2025. Now, fast forward to the current day for Legend’s legendary performance at the Hollywood Bowl. I was more than excited when I was asked to do a John Legend Review.

John Legend Review 

I was looking forward to seeing John Legend live for the first time. He is unquestionably one of the best male vocalists around. So, I knew it would be a fantastic show. My husband and I had a 4pm restaurant review scheduled at LA Popular, a new Mexican restaurant just down the street from the Hollywood Bowl (see link below). John Legend was the perfect date night concert to accompany our already fun day. 

Like so many artists, Legend was fired up to be performing at the Hollywood Bowl. He was in good spirits, and his voice sounded better than ever. The set list was of course dominated by songs from his debut album Get Lifted…hence the name of the tour. Some of my favorites of the evening from that album were “Ordinary People” “She Don’t Have to Know,” “It Don’t Have to Change.” and “So High.”

John Legend Hits

Legend sang “Ordinary People” towards the end of the set and explained that his mother and father inspired the song. After getting divorced when Legend was young, his parents decided to get married again when he was in college. Needless to say, they ultimately got divorced again. If you love the song “Ordinary People,” you can thank his parents. He also revealed that the song was originally written for the musical group Black Eyed Peas, but he decided to record it himself. I am so glad he did. It was an excellent performance and Legend milked his vocal runs beautifully on this well-known song. 

After performing several songs, he shared more of his personal history with the audience before inviting some special guests on stage. Grammy-winning British singer, rapper and songwriter Estelle was first. Her hit song “American Boy” was a highlight for many in the audience of course. Next up was the hip hop duo Clipse who kept the night flowing. Their performance of “The Birds Don’t Sing” had them trading off their profoundly poetic rap with Legend’s gorgeous vocals. 

Another special part of the show was when John sang a gospel song. A hush came over the audience…you could hear a pin drop. He explained that when he was a child each Sunday after church his family would go to supper at his grandmother’s house. She would pull him aside and teach him gospel songs. He played a gorgeous rendition of “Precious Lord, Take My Hand,” written in 1932 by Thomas A. Dorsey. 

His performance was quite outstanding throughout the night, but I also absolutely loved hearing his stories. It was great to learn about his early start in the business. He was quite forthcoming about his humble beginnings, before he described working with Kanye West and being a back-up singer for JAY-Z and Alicia Keys, among others.

He told the story of how he first met Lauren Hill. His girlfriend at the time introduced him and nudged him to play the piano at a social gathering. Once Lauryn Hill heard him play, he was chosen to record Everything is Everything on her 1998 album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.

Furthermore, he talked about his time in Philadelphia, when so much glorious music was pouring out of Philly. The hip hop band the Roots held an historic open mic event, where incredible talents such as Erykah Badu, Common, and many others showed up to perform. Those precious stories kept us glued to Legend’s performance between songs, when so many performers often loose the attention of their audience. My husband was particularly impressed by a deep cut Legend played from an early demo.

A particularly humorous moment was when Legend asked for someone in the audience to come on stage and slow dance with him. A very excited fan named Yvette was selected and brought on the stage. At first she seemed extremely shy. She kept putting her head in her hands…as if to say “I can’t believe this.” After the artists finished dancing with her and crooning to her, she suddenly became way more comfortable onstage. She started chatting away, conversing with Legend as if they were at a local bar. Obviously she needed a bit of help leaving. She was promptly led off by a stage hand. The audience found this hysterical.

Finally, the end of the night brought songs such as So High (Lifted Up), as well as the romantic hit “All of Me.” The entire audience sang the chorus. It was both beautiful and annoying at the same time. John Legend is the only one I want to hear singing that song. I jest, because it was a beautiful moment in the show. You could really feel how palpable the love for that song was and how deeply it touched so many people. 

What a night! This legendary venue, The Hollywood Bowl, paired perfectly with the breathtaking melodies of John Legend. It truly made for a magical evening. His band was stupendous as were the guest performers. Needless to say, I was a fan of John Legend going in. Now, after seeing him performing live, I am truly astounded by his talent. If you have a chance to catch this artist in a city near you, do yourself a favor and go. Treat yourself. You deserve it. Also if you have yet to see a show at the Hollywood Bowl, what are you waiting for. The memories will last forever.

Visit the website to view upcoming shows at the Hollywood Bowl – https://www.hollywoodbowl.com/