Before his show at the Blue Hills Bank Pavilion Monday, singer John Legend stopped by the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in Cambridge. Legend was elected a member of the Academy in April, but he’ll be on tour in Europe in the fall so won’t be able to attend the induction ceremony in October. During his visit, Legend checked out letters written by some of the Academy’s members, including those of Marian Anderson, Julia Child, Alexander Hamilton, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, James McBride, and George Washington. Looks like Legend’s Boston show came at the right time. The singer posted on Twitter that he’d be postponing shows in Maryland and New Jersey because of illness.

Mark Shanahan can be reached at mark.shanahan@globe.com