Returning to my house from the Estelle and John Legend concert at around midnight, I entered my room and found myself facing the family's George Foreman Lean Mean Grilling Machine. I guess we didn't have room in the kitchen.
As for the concert, it was a blast. And an affordable blast, too; I got an early bird student discount and paid $23 at the most. Not bad for a five-time Grammy winner and an emerging British songstress. Legend ended the show (or his encore, rather) with a performance of "If You're Out There," a call-to-action song that I usually see on NBA Cares commercials during Spurs games. Typically, politics is a fine line to tread for entertainers. Maybe not so much for movie stars who are primarily gazed at from afar, but certainly for touring musicians. I remember reading about Linda Ronstadt's controversial Aladdin concert 4 1/2 years ago, where she let her politics be known. And just last year at ACL, I count myself among several fans who were at least somewhat alienated when an act brought up the upcoming election (the politics were a little awkward; making fun of John McCain's POW injuries was just plain inappropriate). Yet for Legend, the call-to-action felt alright. It was done with class and grace that several other entertainers lack. I always appreciate it when anyone begins a statement with "No matter what your personal position," as it immediately encompasses the entire political spectrum. I don't particularly lean one way or another, which often leaves me left out in the two party system. Yet Legend's humanitarian activism is one that transcends whoever our president is and whatever views the fans and Legend himself have. For that, I applaud him even more than I did during the concert.
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