I wouldn’t have called John Legend a sex symbol.  The Upenn grad and Grammy-award winning artist is mostly reserved – only revealing parts of his life through his music – not through tabloids or the gossip mill.  

But then I saw him in concert.

And let’s just say that Legend used his reserved sexiness to make his audience swoon on the final night of his ‘Made to Love’ tour.

Let’s rewind just a little before the swooning and screaming of Legend fans to his opening act throughout the tour, Tamar Braxton.

Now, in case you don’t know who THE Tamar Braxton is, don’t worry she’ll definitely tell you.  She is the sassy and opinionated – but not second-rate – sister of 90s R&B star, Toni Braxton, and she stars in the reality shows “Braxton Family Values” and ‘Tamar & Vince.”

Just like in the show, Tamar leaves no attitude behind while performing. All the neck rolls and diva antics were there – easily emphasized by her sequined black leotard and studded mic. But even as a supportive Tamartian, I couldn’t help but feel that her performance was more gimmick than the bomb.com. 

If you want to act like Beyoncé, shoulder popping and whipping your blonde lacefront back and forth, you got to work like Beyoncé.  Although Tamar has a beautiful and enviable vocal range – reminiscent of a 80s or 90s R&B/Soul singer, she doesn’t have the stamina or dance prowess to match her dynamic attitude, i.e. why she was sitting down for half of her performance.

The only time where I felt slightly captured by Tamar’s performance was when she sang her platinum hit and Tamartian anthem, “Love and War” from her 2013 album of the same name. 

It seemed like only a few moments after Tamar’s performance that the lights in Nokia went black and soon came up again to reveal John Legend. Legend automatically commanded the audience’s attention – refraining from moving to his trademark, the piano, too swiftly. His band and background singers kept the energy going as he walked down the elevated platform onto the main stage. 

It was this moment that I realized that piano-playing Legend had more sex appeal than I thought.  He walked down the stairs to the main stage with Obama swag, Al Green smoothness, and an “8701” Usher boyish charm. 

Completely swagged out in an all-black ensemble – freshly polished black shoes, black skinny jeans, a black tee, a black jacket with leather sleeves, and let’s not forget the luxurious black piano taking center stage – he opened the concert with ‘Made to Love’, off of his newest album, “Love in the Future.”

Although I’m not a die-hard fan of his newer music, “Made to Love” was definitely an electrifying opener that got the audience on its feet and women screaming from left to right. 

But the exhilarating moment didn’t end there.  Legend seamlessly transitioned to his hip-hop influenced hit, “Tonight”, popularized by the 2012 movie, “Think Like a Man.”    

Throughout the entire night, Legend interwove between his four major albums singing what was right for the moment.  You would think that a man who normally performs with a piano would eventually get boring, but think again.

There’s something about John Legend and his passion for music and love that resonated so strongly to the audience. We were mesmerized by the whole production. When he finally joined with his piano for “Open Your Eyes”, he threw back his head and you could sense the energy in his voice and in his fingers as he played the piano.

The highlights of the night for me were when Legend would sing songs from his first two albums, “Get Lifted” (2004) and “Once Again” (2006), my favorite albums from the R&B connoisseur.  Songs like “Used to Love You”, “Get Lifted”, “Save Room” and “Heaven” provided a nostalgic aura across Nokia that excited the audience no matter what the tempo of the song.

Legend soon slowed down the concert and created a more intimate space between himself and his fans by sending away the band and his bond girl-esque background singers, leaving just himself, his piano and LA.   

Female fans appeared to especially enjoy this special moment “alone” with the singer, as he sang of “dreaming dreams” and saying “Good Morning” to his significant other.  Just as he entrances you with a dark and jazzy version of “Dancing in the Dark” by Bruce Springsteen, he completely makes you sigh and sing along with him as he sings his first ballad, “Ordinary People.”  He made the moment even more special for the crowd by leaving the stage and singing in the audience with his fans.

One woman even yelled, “Be my baby daddy!” which gave me quite the laugh at how real his concert was getting.

What makes John Legend so appealing to male and female fans 1) as an artist and 2) as a man is that he is able to talk about love and intimacy in a grown, sophisticated and vulnerable way.  He doesn’t have to be Trey Songz or Chris Brown – taking off his shirt and talking about his sexual abilities to be desirable. I knew that he was a lover before the concert. I could tell through his music, but Legend only reiterated the respect he has for love, life, women and music throughout his performance. 

He didn’t need to say a word to prove this, but the way he was so invested in his music and also the background montages flashing behind him of couples, flowers, and romance all spoke to Legend’s passion. Plus, he openly wears his wedding ring, which makes him even more fly.

Another highlight was probably when a man proposed to his girlfriend in the middle of the crowd during “Angels.”  The sweetest thing I’ve seen at a concert.

But don’t be mistaken; this concert wasn’t all sappy slow jams and mushy moments.  Legend turned up the notch when he brought his band back on stage, with a steady bass pounding throughout Nokia followed by an intricate guitar solo for “Asylum.”  The performance was so hyped he had to take off his jacket.

Legend also hit us with a throwback, singing “Never Too Much” by the late Luther Vandross. 

I thought it was all over when Legend started to sing “So High.” It seemed like the perfect ethereal ending that would leave us on “Cloud Nine.” As Legend walked off the stage and the stadium went black, I realized something was missing from his performance.

Soon the audience started screaming uncontrollably and then Legend reappeared on the stage playing the opening keys to his current hit ballad, “All of Me.” Behind him played his captivating music video for the song, featuring himself and his wife as the stars of the video.  Even Oprah swooned over Legend’s song!

Legend could’ve ended on that sweet note, but he’s way too suave for that. He finished the night on a high with the audacious “Who Do We Think We Are” – thanking his fans for his success and encouraging them to chase their dreams.  

On the last night of the “Made to Love” Tour, John Legend proved that he can be just as reserved and intimate as he wants to be, but he can still be the sex symbol that has all the ladies head-over-heels for him.

Read more of NT's show reviews here.

Reach Staff Reporter Jillian Baker here.