Legend Embarrasses H-Town

Sexy cool John Legend embarrasses Houston at Rodeo: Undressed fools exposed, treated to old school class

Oh. My. God, Houston. I am soooo embarrassed. Multi-Grammy, and now Oscar award winner John Legend came to the Rodeo to sing to us Friday night, and all 69,500 of us were completely underdressed.

I was wearing jeans. You were wearing jeans. I even saw several of you in some sort of flannel checkered ensemble and don’t tell me it was because you were steer wrestling earlier because unless the word steer is the new euphemism for funnel cake, all of you would be lying.

Yet there was John Legend, crooning the night away, never breaking a sweat in his crisp, blue/grey suit, black tie and dress shoes so shiny they blinded us whenever that spotlight hit them. He was so beautiful, and we looked like something the bull had just dragged in.

When he walked onto that rodeo center stage, owning it within seconds, did he once mention how we hadn’t even bothered to sweep up our dirt floor after letting all the sheep run loose? No, he did not because he is a gentleman. He just took one breath and dived into making sweet, sweet vocal love with “Made to Love.”

John Legend was so beautiful, and we looked like something the bull had just dragged in.

The Legend origin tale tells us that it was poet J. Ivy who first decided John Roger Stephens should take the last name Legend because his voice and songs were so much like those old school, legendary performers, and that’s what he brought to NRG Stadium Friday night, a caressing touch of old school class, style and perhaps even a bit of magic.

Wasn't it magic when late into the performance Legend broke into “So High,” the lights dimmed and soft spotlights swirled on that dirt floor, and it seemed just for a moment he had transported us across time and space to the most elegant of dance halls.

Like those classic performers he took us on a ride through the highs and lows of love and life from “Let’s Get Lifted” and “So High” to “Hard Times” and “Ordinary People.” Present and past even merged with his cover of Michael Jackson’s “Rock with You” that gave us memories of young Michael while being all Legend.

Still, I think he liked us. Don’t you think he liked us? He kept saying how happy he was to spend the evening here, and he called Houston a beautiful city. Then there were the times he asked us to sing along, even letting us take over during “All of Me” as he looked out at us with adoring eyes. When ended with his Oscar winning “Glory” and talked of Selma, I think there were tears in all our eyes.

OK, I know his first love is that gorgeous piano he couldn’t keep his hands off of for more than one song, probably followed closely by his wife Chrissy Teigen, but I’m pretty sure he liked us too. He’ll be back. I know it.

Just next time, Houston, let's text each other what we’re wearing before we go. It’s black tie and gowns only for our man John Legend.

John Legend's Rodeo Set List:
Made to Love
Hard Times
Tonight
Let’s Get Lifted
Used to Love You
Save the Night
Save Room
Ordinary People
Green Light
Rock with You
Caught Up
So High
All of Me
Glory

John Legend gave Houston the Look — even though we failed him with our undressing for the concert.

Photo by Michelle Watson CatchLightGroup.com

John Legend gave Houston the Look — even though we failed him with our undressing for the concert.

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In Memoriam

Legendary Texas singer-songwriter Joe Ely dies at 78

Joe Ely/Facebook

Joe Ely was a major figure in Texas' progressive country scene.

Joe Ely, the legendary songwriter, singer and storyteller whose career spanned more than five decades, has died from complications related to Lewy Body Dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and pneumonia. He was 78.

In a statement posted to his Facebook page, Ely died at his home in Taos, New Mexico, with his wife, Sharon, and daughter, Marie, at his side.

Born February 9, 1947, in Amarillo, Texas, Ely was raised in Lubbock and became a central figure among a generation of influential West Texas musicians. He later settled in Austin, helping shape the city’s reputation as a hub for live music.

As with many local legends, it's hard to tease out what specifically made Ely's time in Austin so great; Austin treasures its live music staples, so being around and staying authentic from the early days is often the most important thing an artist can do.

Ely got his local start at One Knight Tavern, which later became Stubb's BBQ — the artist and the famous venue share a hometown of Lubbock. He alternated nights with emerging guitar great Stevie Ray Vaughn. He built his own recording studio in Dripping Springs, and kept close relationships with other Texas musicians. Later in his career, Ely brought fans into the live music experience, publishing excerpts from his journal and musings on the road in Bonfire of Roadmaps (2010), and was inducted into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame in 2022. Austin blues icon Marcia Ball was among Ely's friends who played the induction show.

"Joe Ely performed American roots music with the fervor of a true believer who knew music could transport souls," said Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

In the 1970s, Ely signed with MCA Records, launching a career that included decades of recording and touring around the world. His work and performances left a lasting impact on the music scene and influenced a wide range of artists, including the Clash and Bruce Springsteen, according to Rolling Stone.

"His distinctive musical style could only have emerged from Texas, with its southwestern blend of honky-tonk, rock & roll, roadhouse blues, western swing, and conjunto. He began his career in the Flatlanders, with fellow Lubbock natives Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock, and he would mix their songs with his through 50 years of critically acclaimed recordings. [...]"

Read the full story at KVUE.com. CultureMap has added two paragraphs of context about the Austin portion of Ely's career.

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