After much controversy and debate, the Homecoming concert opened Sunday to a sold-out crowd of 650 in the intimate confines of the George Watts Hill Alumni Center.
John Legend, who was tapped for the performance after the Carolina Athletic Association failed to secure rock band Sister Hazel, played his signature R&B piano music, interjecting casual banter between songs.
"Y'all really represented tonight," Legend said to an enthusiastic crowd, which at the beginning of the show had already given him several standing ovations.
The concert, for which Legend charged $5,000 in artist's fees, was a joint effort between the CAA and the Carolina Union Activities Board.
"We're glad that we were able to bring an artist to campus for Homecoming," said CAA President Lindsay Strunk.
The two student groups chose Legend because his music appeals to the diversity on campus, Strunk said.
T.J. Abrams, chairman of CUAB's Performing Arts Committee, proposed bringing Legend to campus after the first Homecoming act fell through. He said everything about the show worked like clockwork.
"It's something different," he said. "We look forward to bringing a lot of different types of events."
Legend, an up-and-coming star who has toured with Kanye West and Usher, is set to release his major debut album in December. He has gained national attention recently after an appearance on MTV's "TRL."
