JOHN Legend has left some fans underwhelmed with his performance at the Democratic National Convention in which he was meant to honor the late Prince.
The singer performed Prince‘s Let’s Go Crazy (1984) in a tribute to both the late singer and vice presidential nominee Tim Walz, who both hail from Minnesota.
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John, 45, took the stage alongside Sheila E., who was seated behind a piano.
Sheila E., born Sheila Cecilia Escovedo, is a singer and drummer from Oakland, California.
The 66-year-old has been a member of Ringo Starr & his All-Starr Band, Azteca, and The Blackout All-Stars, and was a longtime collaborator and close friend of Prince’s.
As John Legend sang the lyrics, Sheila E. eventually got up from behind the piano to join him front and center.
They danced and belted out the lyrics together as background dancers busted out some moves behind them.
Fans flocked to social media during the performance to share their reactions, and many were unimpressed.
“John Legend trying to sing Prince,” one critical commenter wrote, adding a GIF of the late musician rolling his eyes.
“Prince in heaven seeing John Legend’s tribute to him,” another posted, adding a video of an unimpressed Logan Roy from Succession.
“Here comes John Legend’s a**,” penned another, along with a GIF of two women visibly exhausted.
“John Legend…….. Prince?!” criticized a fourth.
“John Legend??????” questioned a fifth, along with a GIF of Prince side-eyeing someone off stage.
“I don’t want to hear John Legend sing Prince songs,” complained someone else on X.
“John Legend trying to cover Prince should end his career. This is so terrible my ears hurt,” slammed a seventh commenter.
Not everyone hated John’s performance, however.
POSITIVE PRAISE
Some fans thought the Ordinary People singer did Prince proud.
The Purple Rain singer died in April 2016.
One fan wrote in part, “I’d like to think Prince would be proud.”
“He just puts his foot in his music, raps thru his ad-libs, kills it on the piano, speaks up and acts out toward social justice and meaningful initiatives, loves his family, and stays out of the drama. An unproblematic kind,” praised a second supporter.
“John legend and Sheila E. were great. Prince would be proud,” gushed a third commenter.
“John Legend and Sheila E. killed it!! Prince would have been proud,” wrote a fourth fan.
“My mother talked through the entirety of John Legend’s performance and I am not happy,” another person posted.
STAR-STUDDED
While fans were split on John’s performance, one thing was undeniable: The DNC packed a star-studded punch.
In addition to the All of Me singer, Mindy Kaling, Lil Jon, Jack Schlossberg, Tony Goldwyn, former President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Stevie Wonder, Kenan Thompson, Maren Morris, Eva Longoria, and Spike Lee are just a few of the major celebrities who appeared and/or spoke at the multi-day event.
Lil Jon, Patti LaBelle, Jason Isbell, Common, Mickey Guyton, and more performed between speakers on various days at the DNC in Chicago.
James Taylor was due to perform on Tuesday but had to scrap his performance last minute due to timing.
“It became clear, as the evening unfolded, that there wouldn’t be time for our You’ve Got a Friend with cello and voices. Maybe the organizers couldn’t anticipate the wild responses from the floor of the United Center,” he wrote in an Instagram post to fans.
“Anyway, sorry to disappoint.”
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