R&B star John Legend to perform intimate set at Fells Point record store

Here’s your “Green Light” to see an intimate performance by R&B star John Legend next week.

The 13-time Grammy Award winner will perform at the Fells Point record store Sound Garden at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

Space is limited, said store owner Bryan Burkert, but fans can gain priority entry into the event with a preorder of Legend’s new album, “Muse,” which will be released Friday. When fans pick up their preordered albums, they’ll receive wristbands to get into the event, Burkert said.

The show will very likely reach capacity based on preorders alone, he said.

“He sells out Merriweather [Post Pavilion],” Burkert said Thursday. “Do not expect entry without purchase.”

Burkert said Legend will perform songs from “Muse,” which was produced by Pharrell Williams, on a grand piano on the store’s outdoor stage in the parking lot.

“It’s an honor, and we’re super excited to have an artist of his caliber to do such a small, intimate show in our lot,” said Burkert, who also owns the nearby bar Wonderland.

Legend last performed in the area in late 2024, bringing his Christmas tour to Live! Casino & Hotel in Hanover. The “Ordinary People” singer also headlined Pier Six Pavilion in August 2014.

Opened in 1993 by Burkert, Sound Garden is a destination for vinyl and physical media collectors. It was named the second-best record store in the U.S. by Rolling Stone in 2010, and Billboard included Sound Garden on its list of the top 13 independent record stores in the country in 2013.

In recent years, the store on Thames Street has hosted more live performances, especially after Burkert built out the lot stage during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last month, Mike D of the Beastie Boys hit the Sound Garden stage for a full set, and pop star Tinashe performed a DJ set in the rain. Australian post-punk band Radio Free Alice will perform there Wednesday at 5 p.m.

“We expect to do more — more big artists,” Burkert said.