Showing posts with label John Legend. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Legend. Show all posts
Thursday, September 9, 2010
John Legend Live Performance At Grand Central Terminal NYC
In front of throngs of surprised New Yorkers passing through Grand Central Terminal today (Tuesday the 7th), Grammy award-winning artist John Legend gave an exclusive performance inside a replica of the new Courtyard by Marriott lobby. The singer/songwriter’s performance kicked off a two month long initiative designed to bring the new lobby concept to more travelers across the U.S. The ubiquitous brand is unveiling “lobby zones” just like the one in Grand Central in three major U.S. airports in Atlanta, Chicago and Denver on September 15.
Legend played one set, including “Wake Up Everybody” and “Ordinary People” inside the famed train station’s Vanderbilt Hall. As the crowd swelled, excited fans snapped photos on their cell phones, sharing the experience with their friends on social networks. To learn more about today’s kick off event, or to get more information about the airport lobby zones, guests can connect with Courtyard on the brand’s newly launched Facebook page, Twitter feed or blog, Courtyard Connections. (source)
See photo links of John Legend at this special performance in NYC:
Getty Images
Wire Image
Film Magic
PR Photos
Thursday, July 15, 2010
John Legend & The Roots 'Wake Up!' Artwork & Tracklist Posted Online
John Legend & The Roots Wake Up! on G.O.O.D. Music/Columbia set to arrive September 21.
Tracklist:
01. Compared to What
02. Hard Times
03. Little Ghetto Boy
04. Wake Up Everybody feat. Common and Melanie Fiona
05. Our Generation
06. Love the Way It Should Be
07. Hang On in There
08. I Can’t Write Left Handed
09. Wholy Holy
10. I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free
11. Shine
as seen on Rap-Up
Thursday, May 6, 2010
John Legend 'Wake Up Sessions' Album With The Roots Close To Being Finished
via MTV
John Legend is a pretty lucky guy. He sang the national anthem at the World Series and joined Stevie Wonder onstage at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25th anniversary concert last fall — on the same day.
The piano-playing crooner will follow those achievements with the release of his next album, Wake Up Sessions, with the Roots. According to Legend, he's been a fan of the Philadelphia band since his college days, when he was a student at the University of Pennsylvania.
"We're, like, 99 percent done. We've done all the recording, and now we're mixing half the album, and it's coming out in September," the singer told MTV News. "I'm very excited about it. It's gonna be a very interesting, very cool album. And like I said, I'm a big fan of the Roots. I'm excited to be able to put out an album with the Roots. This is a group I've been following since I was a kid at UPenn. I would go to open mics and watch them host the open mics, wishing I could be onstage with them, and now I'm in the studio with them making this album, and it's pretty exciting."
Legend and the Roots joined forces last month to perform at a 40th-anniversary Earth Day event. Wake Up Sessions is the follow-up to Legend's 2008 album, Evolver, which featured the Andre 3000-assisted "Green Light."
Monday, April 26, 2010
The Roots With John Legend, Sting & Others At Earth Day Climate Rally In Washington DC
via The Washington Post
Sting, Mavis Staples, the Roots -- some big stars came to Washington to perform at Sunday's (April 25) Earth Day Climate Rally on the National Mall. But there was one unexpected surprise guest. Ladies and gentlemen, the sun!
It punched holes through the overcast early in the day -- a welcome change for an annual concert that's been particularly soggy in recent years. Last year's event was gray and drippy, and 2008's concert was thunderstormed out before the Roots, who were headlining, could even walk onstage.
Mother Nature must have gotten the memo that this year's awareness-raising, free-admission concert, organized by the Earth Day Network, marked the 40th anniversary of the environmentalist event. Tens of thousands gathered on the grounds between the Capitol and the Washington Monument to hear activists, celebrities and Congress-folk speak about the importance of renewable energy, green jobs and shrinking carbon footprints.
Oh, and there was some music, too. The Roots, the great hip-hop group that recently, finally earned household-name status as the house band on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon," made a triumphant return to the Mall, scheduled to back performances from Sting, John Legend and a slew of others.
Sting was one of many of Sunday's high-profile performers.
They took the stage late in the afternoon, propelled by Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson's firecracker drumming and Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter's dexterous rhymes. But their set ended rather unceremoniously when the sound system blew out.
Once organizers resuscitated the P.A., the Roots returned with Staples, the great soul-gospel singer, in tow. After that came Fall Out Boy singer Patrick Stump, who crooned Bobby Womack's "If You Think You're Lonely Now." As surprising as this transformation from emo-dude to blue-eyed soulman: Stump has slimmed down into quite the trim Fall Out Man.
Up next, micro-performances from the inimitable Booker T, the intolerable Joss Stone and Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead -- the Roots playing it cool throughout.
Read the rest of the article here:
Washington Post - Earth Day's moment in the sun
Photo links from the Earth Day Climate Rally concert with Sting, The Roots, John Legend, Jimmy Cliff and others in Washington D.C.:
Washington Post
Getty Images
Wire Image
Film Magic
Rex Features
WENN Photo
more fan shot video below.
(video courtesy of Run In DC & godieinhell2)
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
John Legend At The 6th Annual Roots Jam Session In L.A.
via Vibe
John Legend confirmed that he's working with Questlove and The Roots on his upcoming fourth album at the 6th Annual Roots Jam Session Saturday night in Los Angeles. For those in the house, Legend performed a couple of the as-yet-unreleased cuts he's been working on. Get lifted.
Related:
Roots Jam Session Returns To L.A. During Grammy Weekend
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
John Legend & Movie Director Davis Guggenheim Collaborate On 'Waiting For Superman' Documentary
via the Associated Press
PARK CITY, Utah – A convenient truth greeted John Legend when the singer contacted documentary director Davis Guggenheim about collaborating on a film to examine the nation's public-school system.
Legend had been working with the hip-hop group the Roots on an album exploring 1960s and '70s music, which led to a discussion about the civil-rights movement and then education, which he considers the civil-rights issue of our time.
The Grammy winner whose albums include "Evolver" and "Get Lifted" thought Guggenheim, an Academy Award winner for his global-warming documentary "An Inconvenient Truth," was just the man to look at what's wrong with America's public schools.
"We were going to meet with Davis to see if he wanted to direct it," Legend said. "When my manager met with him, he was like, `Uh, I'm already making this film. This film you're talking about, I'm already making it, and it'll be done in three months.'"
Legend, 31, eagerly agreed to sign on with Guggenheim's "Waiting for Superman," writing the song "Shine" for the closing credits of the documentary, which premiered over the weekend at the Sundance Film Festival.
"The first time I heard it, I was like 'It's perfect,'" Guggenheim said. "When you hear the song, it just says everything about what we have to do for every kid in America. Give them a great potential and let them shine."
The film chronicles efforts by innovative educators to turn around failing systems in Washington, D.C., Harlem, Los Angeles and other places where many schools have come to be known as "dropout factories." Guggenheim studies the hindrances of conflicting state and federal regulations on schools and how tenure tracks and teachers unions affect administrators' power to get rid of bad instructors.
At the heart of the film are segments following a handful of promising students whose best hopes for a decent future rest in longshot lotteries to determine which children will get to attend a choice alternative school.
"Shine" "was completely inspired from seeing the film and seeing the stories of the children in the film, because it follows these kids who have potential, have a certain desire to do well," Legend said. "They are in circumstances where they are surrounded by failing public schools, and they see the light, they see a few schools in their area that are succeeding. But you have to win a lottery to get into these schools. ...
"When you think about someone's fate being decided by a lottery, the choice is usually ... `Am I going to end up at a school with a super-high dropout rate and end up like a lot of those kids who drop out, in the criminal-justice system, working a low-wage job, or am I going to get a good education and go to college and make something of myself?'"
"Waiting for Superman" has been picked up by Paramount Vantage for theatrical release. Legend hopes the film will be a call to action for public schools the way an "Inconvenient Truth" was for global warming.
The film also has the support of Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates, who is interviewed in the documentary and came to Sundance to promote it.
Even with marquee names behind it, the film will take some nurturing to bring in audiences, Legend said.
"It's always challenging selling a documentary. I'm sure when people can go to see lighter fare, it's not always their first choice," Legend said. "But I feel that this film is really inspiring, it's really moving. It has all the things you want out of a good film. The drama and the suspense and the interesting characters that you want to follow. It also teaches you something important about what's going on in our country."
Friday, January 22, 2010
Hope For Haiti Performances With Jay-Z, Rihanna, Bono, Beyonce, Alicia Keys & More
Monday, January 11, 2010
Stevie Wonder Joins John Legend For A Surprise Performance In Las Vegas
Amazing to see John Legend and a true Motown living legend Stevie Wonder on stage together for the private Monster Cable concert/event at CES 2010 in Las Vegas Friday January 8. There are no words for their rendition of 'Ordinary People' & 'My Cherie Amour', other than Amazing!
PHOTOS:
Corbis Images
(video courtesy of timpage74 &chriscrutch)
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Saturday, October 3, 2009
John Legend At Austin City Limits Festival Recap With Videos, Photos and Show Review
This is what Austin American Statesman's correspondent John T. Davis said about John Legend's rare Austin, TX appearance at Zilker Park Friday October 2:
This correspondent, for one, was curious to see how John Legend’s boudoir-friendly R&B/neo-soul translated to the cowboy-hatted al fresco environment of ACL. Seems I wasn’t the only one.
‘I know you don’t get a lot of R&B acts here,’ Legend said toward the end of his hour long set. ‘But I feel very much at home tonight.’
Certainly he made himself at home. Legend began his set standing on a box in the middle of the runway between the stage and sound board, serenading the rapturous crowd with a heartfelt version of Bob Marley’s ‘Redemption Song.’
Read more of the show review here:
Austin American Statesman - John Legend
Show photos here:
Austin 360 - Slide Show
Getty Images
Film Magic
Wire Image
(videos courtesy of WhereIsSierra)
Austin City Limits Festival Day 1 show coverage here:
Hooked on That - K'naan
Hooked on That - Raphael Saadiq
Friday, September 25, 2009
Consequence & John Legend perform at S.O.B.s in New York City
As part of Hot97's Hennessy Artistry Presents Who's Next Live series, Consequence ,with some help from John Legend, stormed S.O.B.'s in New York City Thursday September 24.
Photos:
Film Magic
Consequence - Cons TV on Motown/Universal in-stores November 10
(video courtesy of Potential718)
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
John Legend Performance In Las Vegas
At Sandbar At Red Rock Casino Las Vegas, NV Friday September 18.
(video courtesy of Xxgeema47xX and MIZZJGSG)
(video courtesy of Xxgeema47xX and MIZZJGSG)
Monday, August 17, 2009
Consequence ft. Kanye West & John Legend "Whatever U Want" Photos Posted From The Video Set
Filming in Miami, FL at LIV at Fontainebleau on Sunday August 16 with Hype Williams as the video director.
Check out the photos from the video set:
Rex Features
Star Tracks Photo
Consequence ft. Kanye West & John Legend "Whatever U Want"
Thanks to The Hype Factor for the music link.
Consequence "Cons TV" on Band Camp/G.O.O.D. Music/Universal tentatively slated to hit stores October 2009.
Friday, August 14, 2009
John Legend At Madison Square Garden NYC Show Recap With Photos, Video And Review
Thursday August 13 at Madison Square Garden NYC, John Legend's first headlining show at the venue.
Fan shot video below.
The New York Times review "Spotlight on Soul and Self-Restraint"
Check out the photos from the show and after party:
Getty Images - Show
Getty Images - After party
Wire Images - After party
(review courtesy of The New York Times)
(fan shot video courtesy of cliveandkeebanyc and dm81)
Fan shot video below.
The New York Times review "Spotlight on Soul and Self-Restraint"
Check out the photos from the show and after party:
Getty Images - Show
Getty Images - After party
Wire Images - After party
(review courtesy of The New York Times)
(fan shot video courtesy of cliveandkeebanyc and dm81)
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
John Legend speaks at the University of Penn Commencement (video)
Grammy-Winning Soul Musician John Legend at the University of Penn Commencement: "A Commitment To Truth Requires A Commitment To Social Justice" May 17.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Vaughn Anthony at the Home School Records party (video)
I present to you Atlantic/Home School Records recording artist Vaughn Anthony. Recently out on the road with his older brother John Legend. Now striking out on his own and giving his older sibling a run for his money.
Performing at S.O.B.'s in NYC May 14 in front of a very hyped music industry crowd which included Rick Ross, Ryan Leslie, Erica Goodman, Devo Springsteen & Estelle.
John Legend Estelle & Rick Ross perform at the Home School Records party in NYC (video)
Recorded at S.O.B.'s in NYC May 14.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
