John Legend, Common Perform ‘Glory’ to Honor John Lewis at 2020 DNC
John Legend and Common helped close out the 2020 Democratic National Convention on Thursday night with a performance of “Glory,” their theme from the 2014 Civil Rights drama Selma.
The performance was dedicated to the late John Lewis, who died last month and was an instrumental figure in the Civil Rights movement during the Sixties.
As with all performances at the 2020 DNC, the “Glory” rendition followed Covid-19 guidelines and was taped prior to the ceremony, but Legend and Common were given a full stage and a choir for the song. At the end of the rousing performance, Legend stood up from his piano and he and Common threw up the Black Power fist as a final gesture toward racial justice.
GLORY!! Thank you again to the @DemConvention. @common and I were thrilled to honor Founding Father John Lewis tonight. https://t.co/yYEbL8TSY8
— John Legend (@johnlegend) August 21, 2020
The Chicks opened the DNC on Thursday night with “The Star-Spangled Banner,” following prior performances by Billie Eilish, Stephen Stills, Billy Porter, Leon Bridges, Jennifer Hudson, Prince Royce and Maggie Rogers.
Legend has been politically active over the past few months; in addition to “Glory,” he also performed on Night Two of the convention — his song “Never Break” from the album Bigger Love — and, last month, he took part in a digital fundraiser for Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden. At the beginning of the George Floyd protests, he joined Common and other artists, including Lizzo, the Weeknd and Jane Fonda, in signing an open letter to defund the police.
