John Legend at Louvre Abu Dhabi was my first live concert and it didn't disappoint

American R&B star's show sets the bar high for my next live music outing

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  John Legend poses for a portrait on Monday, Aug. 15, 2022, in West Hollywood, Calif. , to promote his latest double album "Legend. " (Photo by Willy Sanjuan / Invision / AP)

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  Grammy award-winning artist John Legend performs during a private event for LG at Starpower on September 29. AP Images

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  Legend and Chrissy Teigen arrive for the 74th Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles, California. AFP

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  Legend visited the Pyramids of Giza during a recent concert stop in Egypt. Instagram/johnlegend

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  Legend performs during the 56th Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland on July 4. EPA

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  Ukrainian singer Mika Newton and Legend perform during the 64th Grammy Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on April 3. AFP

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  Legend accepts the Global Impact Award during the Recording Academy Honours presented by The Black Music Collective on April 2. AP

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  John Legend performs during the MusiCares Person of the Year gala honouring Joni Mitchell at the MGM Grand Conference Centre in Las Vegas on April 1. AFP

All of me loved all of John Legend’s concert at Louvre Abu Dhabi last weekend.

It was my first-ever live concert and boy was it spectacular. Let’s just say, I came with high expectations and left with higher hopes. As a fellow spectator told me, I have set the bar high for my next one.

Coming from India, where we do have a lot of concerts, I have always been put off by the idea of getting pushed and shoved by an unruly crowd. I mean, it happens daily on public transport, why would I willingly volunteer for the experience in the name of recreation?

So when the opportunity presented itself in a city as safe and mesmerising as Abu Dhabi, I jumped.

Louvre Abu Dhabi, celebrating the fifth anniversary of its opening, was the perfect magical backdrop, while the Legend served us hits one after the other.

The floating stage could have been a bit bigger but I wasn’t complaining as they projected the show on one of the white cuboid blocks beneath the magnificent Jean Nouvel-designed dome.

The stands were packed, the weather was about right and Legend walked in with a swagger that would easily beat Chrissy Teigen’s ramp walk. Seriously.

First of all, he started the concert on time. I mean, if you are doing that in 2022, you have my respect. Thank you for not being fashionably late.

This was Zoya Thomas's first live concert experience. Zoya Thomas / The National

Secondly, midway through the concert, as he sang his love songs, he asked us, an international audience, to turn around and express our love for each other. You should have seen the grin on everybody’s face as they started saying ‘I love you’ randomly to strangers. It was funny and sweet. As he rightly said, if the past few months have shown us anything, it is that the world needs more love.

Some waved, some screamed, some danced, some sang. It was a concert for all and Legend wanted us to know that from the start.

Not only did he impress us with his vocals, but his performance was on point. The mic stand was dropped, there was a swirl here and a jiggle there and not once did he wipe the gleaming sweat off his face. This man was not lip syncing and thank God for that.

He started with Ordinary People and us ordinary people crooned with him:

Take it slow, oh-oh This time we'll take it slow

Well, nobody was in a hurry for this concert to end.

While John also sang Minefields, Used to Love U and Nervous, the highlight of the night was seeing him take to the piano to perform the crowd favourite All of Me.

I attended the concert alone, but a group of enthusiastic women were next to me and were quick to tell me I was part of their tribe for the night.

Zoya Thomas, far right, with her newfound friends at the John Legend concert in Abu Dhabi. Zoya Thomas / The National

So I had great company and we shared mementoes and clicked photos and kept telling each other how lucky we were.

Indeed, I came out of the concert feeling fortunate and happy.

John Legend lived up to the hype of being one of the 17 EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) winners. Now, I want more of this live concert scene and maybe even better, if not the same, if that's even possible.

Suggestions are welcome, but they'd need to beat this spectacular venue.

Impressionism at Louvre Abu Dhabi: new exhibition blends brushstrokes and brilliance — in pictures

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  'Bazille Studio' (1870), oil on canvas by Frederic Bazille and Edouard Manet. Victor Besa / The National

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  'Floor Scrapers' (1875), oil on canvas by Gustave Caillebotte. Victor Besa / The National

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  'In the Cafe' (1880), oil on canvas by Gustave Caillebotte. Victor Besa / The National

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  'The Bezique Game' (1880), oil on canvas by Gustave Caillebotte. Victor Besa / The National

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  'Spring' (1857), oil on canvas by Charles-Francois Daubigny. Victor Besa / The National

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  'Woman with a Coffee Pot' (1890-95), oil on canvas by Paul Cezanne. Victor Besa / The National

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  Sylvie Patry, chief curator and deputy director for Collections and Curatorial Affairs at Musée d’Orsay. Victor Besa / The National

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  'Apples and Oranges' (1839), oil on canvas by Paul Cezanne. Victor Besa / The National

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  'The Pastures under a Cloudy Sky' (1856-60), oil on canvas by Constant Troyon. Victor Besa / The National

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  'Family Reunion' (1867-1841), oil on canvas by Frederic Bazille. Victor Besa / The National

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  'The Cup of Chocolate' (1877-78), oil on canvas by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. Victor Besa / The National

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  'The Ice Floes' (1880), oil on canvas by Claude Monet. Victor Besa / The National

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  'The Improvised Field Hospital' (1865), oil on canvas by Frederic Bazille. Victor Besa / The National

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  'A Studio at Les Batignolles' (1870), oil on canvas by Henri Fantin-Latour. Victor Besa / The National

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  'The Two Sisters' (1863), oil on canvas by James Tissot. Victor Besa / The National

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  'Rue Montorgueil, Paris' (1878), oil on canvas by Claude Monet. Victor Besa / The National

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  'Saint-Lazare Railway Station' (1877), oil on canvas by Claude Monet. Victor Besa / The National

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  'The Balcony' (1868-69), oil on canvas by Edouard Manet. Victor Besa / The National

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  'Floor Scrapers' by Gustave Cailebotte, oil on canvas. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

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  The exhibition is running until February. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

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  It highlights how the French artists, known as 'the impressionists', were rebels of their time. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

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  Their vibrant brushstrokes and outdoor landscapes broke conventional art rules in the 19th century. Khushnum Bhandari / The National

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  'The Lady with the Glove' by Carlos-Duran. Khushnum Bhandari / The National