A slew of foreign artists are doing shows here in Manila these next few weeks and most of them I've seen already but I still feel excitement to hear their new material performed live.
First on the list is Grammy and Oscar winner John Legend who's here in Manila for the third time. I didn't watch the second show because I hate 'All of Me' but his latest album, Darkness and Light, although devoid of radio hits, had some interesting songs - the title track, Overload and Surefire, which he all performed tonight.
Of course, the biggest applause from the audience were for his hits All of Me and Beauty and the Beast and I don't like both songs. But I love most of his other material, especially the earlier ones and the new ones I just mentioned.
Tonight, he did a stunning rendition of Ordinary People, arranged only with piano and his voice. It's probably one of the best live performances I've seen in years.
I wonder how his piano can sound so good in such a big place like the Araneta Coliseum. He did the same arrangement for Save Room, another one of his earlier hits, which also came out quite well.
Other favorite highlights of mine were his suave performances of Tonight (Best I Ever Had), Penthouse Floor and P.D.A., one of the few upbeat songs he had tonight.
It was a great night for R&B music and John sounds as great as he did in 2009 when he first came here for his Evolver tour.
