John Legend plays piano and sings as an image of his younger self is projected behind him

On Tuesday, John Legend spent the morning the way many do during the summer — dropping the kids off at camp.

Aside from that, his summer has been one the rest of us could only dream of. Last week, he was watching the Olympics in Paris and Wednesday night, he’ll perform in front of thousands at Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Joining him is The Philadelphia Orchestra, which is currently in its annual residency in the Spa City. The EGOT-winning — that’s an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award — singer will take the stage at 7:15 p.m., sharing stories from his life alongside some of his greatest hits and recent favorites.

“I’ve been playing a lot of amphitheaters over the summer, and it’s truly a beautiful way to play,” said Legend. “I love the vibe of the audience, I feel like people are coming for a really magical night out, and we hope to give that to them.”

The orchestra will play in tandem with Legend’s own backing band.

“It feels so cool being surrounded by so many great musicians and it just kind of elevates the show,” said Legend. “It makes you feel like you’re floating.”

A SPAC residency is tradition to The Philadelphia Orchestra, who have a storied history with the venue, for it was built with them in mind. Meanwhile, Legend has his own roots in the City of Brotherly Love.

“I have such a strong connection with Philly,” said Legend. “Most of my band is from Philly. I’ve written a lot of songs there, spent a lot of time there, went to college there. So Philly is like my second home; it literally was my second home.”

The singer moved to the mid-Atlantic city to attend the University of Pennsylvania. His music career began to flourish and he waded into professional waters with a gig playing piano on Lauryn Hill’s “Everything is Everything.”

Anthony Parnther, who is in his fifth season as Music Director of California’s San Bernardino Symphony Orchestra, will be conducting the instrumentalists.

“We bring our conductor with us everywhere to keep some continuity with the way the orchestra is conducted,” said Legend. “So I think in a lot of ways, that kind of keeps us stable, and with the same core team for the music it feels pretty seamless for me.”

The two first connected when Parnther took part in Legend’s 2023 show at The Hollywood Bowl.

“It really felt great, so we asked him to continue to work with us for our other orchestra shows,” said Legend. “Like I said, it’s nice to have some continuity. Someone that knows me, knows the music really well and knows the band really well. There’s a lot of little nuances and it’s easier to do together when you have some experience working together.”

Legend has been joined by orchestras at a number of the venues he’s visited this summer, such as the Wolf Trap Orchestra in Virginia. Later, he’ll unite with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra.

“A lot of these venues that have the orchestras or work with the symphony, they have subscribers that are true fans of the symphony and supporters of the symphony,” he said. “So some of them may not be hardcore John Legend fans, but they’re big supporters of the symphony and so they come to the show for that reason. I see it as my goal to make all of them fall in love with the music.”

Between songs he’ll share anecdotes from his own life to provide further insight on the experiences that inspired the music.

“I talk about my upbringing. I talk about the ups and downs of my family life growing up. I talk about launching my career. I talk about how I got my name, John Legend, as a stage name,” he said. “There’s a lot of things that even people who’ve known me for my entire 20-year career don’t know about me. So most people that come see the show, they really love the storytelling aspect…We get some laughs in there, we have a good time.”

The added fun builds upon the intimacy instilled through the cozy cover of the amphitheater.

“It makes me feel more connected to the audience. Honestly, because I feel like baring my soul a bit and letting people get to know me better makes me feel connected to everyone there,” said Legend.

While many of his most famous hits are crooning ballads about love, Legend will be sure to infuse the performance with lighthearted commentary.

“I find humor in a lot of the things that have happened in my life, and I think those are elements that you don’t always get in the songs,” he said.

After tonight’s show, Legend is off to his home state of Ohio. The Springfield native will play in the Cleveland and Cincinnati areas during his tour.

“I have a lot of family there. Actually, some of them are driving up, and then my uncle invited a bunch of his friends that live in the Cleveland area… I talk about the family a lot in the show, so I’m really looking forward to all of them being able to witness it,” he said.