John Legend is a musical force to be reckoned with. Known for his smooth vocals accompanied by a piano, and lyrics about love, he sent the crowd into a frenzy at Saudi Arabia’s Diriyah E-Prix over the weekend as he performed some of his most loved hits including, “All of Me,” which peaked on the Billboard 100 charts for three consecutive weeks, as well as “Green Light,” “Nervous” and “All Night Long.”
Concert goers were excited to see the American singer perform in the kingdom, especially since hes an R&B artist and there aren’t many musicians that perform this genre in the kingdom.
Whilst up on stage, and clearly touched by the reception of his Saudi fans, Legend said, “I don’t want to brag but I want to be the best you’ve ever had, Riyadh…We’re going to have some fun, I promise.”
The music was accompanied by beautiful visuals as a backdrop, and John Legend encouraged the audience to dance along with him to popular hit, “All She Wanna Do” and to join him in singing the chorus to “All of Me,” as he told the crowd that they “sound so beautiful.”
Attendees of the concert were also thrilled to be able to see their favorite artists perform in Saudi Arabia as they would often previously travel to see their favorite stars perform, or simply not go at all. Now that the kingdom is continually coming up with ways to attract tourism, and boost their entertainment sector, Saudi fans are over the moon.
“Part of our culture is hospitality and getting to experience this with foreigners and expats makes me happy. It’s as if you’re able to cook well but can’t share this talent that you have, and now we can finally do it,” he said, said one fan to a local news outlet.
Another audience member commented, “I came for John Legend, honestly, and he sang my favorite song, ‘All of Me!’” Fans referred to Legend’s performance as a “dream.”
“I love that international singers are coming to know our culture and hospitality and to see the new Saudi,” said the fan.
John Legend performed his incredible music alongside artists such as Egyptian singer Mohammed Hamaki and Moroccan - American rapper, French Montana, who took to the stage to deliver trap music after Legend’s performance.
“This is my first time in Saudi since 2019, so let me reintroduce myself. Let’s go!” said Montana as he introduced himself on stage, right before he performed his hit, “All the Way Up.”
Saudi DJ, Dani Bogari, opened the show, and told media, “I’m absolutely immersed in joy. It’s my first time playing on such a large stage, so it feels incredible.” He added, “It feels like there are lots of opportunities for local talent, so today being part of this experience, being alongside John Legend and French Montana — I don’t think there’s anything that I can say to describe it.”
