By Ayana Allen
John Legend has performed in huge stadiums to massive crowds at the Super Bowl, WrestleMania, political conventions and at Live Earth. He's a guy who by now should be comfortable with fame and attention. But last night during his performance at New York's Madison Square Garden — the first time he has ever headlined the iconic arena — he seemed just slightly overwhelmed by the energy of it all.
"I used to sing this song in clubs," he said before launching into "Stay With You," the final song in his set. "And I couldn't wait for the day I got to sing it in Madison Square Garden."
(Click here for more photos from from John Legend's performance at Madison Square Garden!)
Legend certainly treated the show like a huge event, welcoming friends Kanye West, Rick Ross, Estelle, reggae legend Buju Banton and opening act India.Arie to the stage for some all-star collaborations.
"This is a star-studded event!" Legend announced following his opening number, a spot-on take on Bob Marley's "Redemption Song," which he crooned from the audience. He made his way up to the stage and rolled out hit after hit, climaxing in the appearance of Estelle and West for an extended version of the trio's hit "American Boy."
For one lucky fan, the highlight came when Legend invited her up on stage for a slow dance during (obviously) "Slow Dance." Though she looked like she was about to faint, she maintained her composure and walked away with a kiss on the cheek, a long-stemmed red rose and an unforgettable memory for her trouble.
But fans didn't need to dance with the man to appreciate the evening. By the time he ended the show with "Green Light," he had managed to seduce everybody at MSG.
By Rya Backer
Did you have the sing-songy chorus of Estelle and Kanye West's Grammy-winning "American Boy" stuck in your head for a good amount of 2008? Well, so did Estelle. That's why she's happy to reveal that she's working on new material as we speak.
"I'm sick of singing 'American Boy,' so we need something else," the West London native confessed at a recent party for the fashion line Chloé.
Recently, Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio — who has produced work for Scarlett Johansson and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs — helped her record a track. "He's amazing," Estelle gushed, "I'm really excited. We just finished a song together. I listened to it all the way here. I'm having a moment. He's really, really cool.'' Read more...
By Steven Roberts
We at MTV News are pretty excited about the nominees for the 2008 Mercury Prize — and not just because the award recognizes some of the best albums to come out of the U.K. and Ireland. It's also because we've been on a lot of these artists for ages (that's the sound of us patting ourselves on the back!).
When James Montgomery isn't channeling Matt Pinfield on "FNMTV," one of the artists on his beat is Radiohead: He's covered just about everything surrounding the release of the Mercury-nominated In Rainbows. From the album's pay-what-you-want digital release to the innovative video for "House of Cards," he's been there. He has even found time to cover their eco-friendly water bottles.
Read more...
We hung out with Kidz in the Hall today at the famous J & R Music World downtown and talked about their new album. The In Crowd drops today, and the guys used the sales skills they learned playing used car salesmen in their video for "Driving Down the Block" to help move units.
Naledge and Double-O talked about how their academic background played a part in the conception of their album (the two met at UPenn). And, of course, they talked about their new tracks, whose lyrics range from politics to the art of hip-hop and the power of addiction. We'll be bringing you news on their collabos with Travis McCoy of Gym Class Heroes and Estelle in the days to come.
I've seen these guys go from being an mtvU Freshmen Five artist to doing "My Block: Chicago." Now they're on "TRL"! But these guys never forget their roots, whether they're talking early 90's hip-hop or reminiscing about meeting Barack Obama in their friend's living room back when he was running for State Senate in Illinois...
