How does one describe Lenny Kravitz in just a few words? Charismatic, Talented, Strutter, ROCKSTAR! In support of his recent release, Raise Vibration on Roxie Records, Kravitz performed at the fabulous indoor concert venue the Theatre at Grand Prairie last Saturday, September 14th for what was a soulful exhibition of love, guitars and uplift!
On tour with NO OPENING ACT, Lenny took the stage a bit later than expected to a hefty house of dedicated music fans and from what I can tell, have seen him perform in years past. I say this because of the crowd response and sing-along throughout his 2 hours plus set. Kicking off with "We Can Get It All Together", Kravitz walks on stage, behind the drum riser on a platform with two huge mammoth tusks hovering over him with a vary of lights showcasing the stage. On his second number, he rolled into "Fly Away" that from this first guitar chords had the crowd movie'! Singing both songs from the platform, gave his stage presence a huge appeal with the anticipation of what he would do next. All eyes where on Lenny!
As he moved down to the center front, the party really started with guitar in hand and the true high energy rockstar came out to play! With a great selection of songs to choose from, Kravitz also has a few popular re-makes such as "American Woman" a classic by The Guess Who that had every female on their feet groovin' to the beat! The one thing Lenny does best is add his own style to make even a classic rock song like "American Woman" his own with a solid band and a three piece horn section.
Throughout the show there were great moments but by far the one song that had everyone's ear was "It Ain't Over 'Til It's Over", classic Kravitz from his 1991 LP Mama Said. The melodic tempo, the smooth jazzy feel and the sexy vocals made this the top song of the evening and even had Lenny humbled afterwards by the crowds applause. The love was in the air!
From edgy songs like "Mr. Cab Driver" to new material like "Low" from his recent album and them killer hard driving tunes we all love like"Are You Gonna Go My Way", Kravitz had the audience captivated song by song. This guy is a true performer! I would even go as far as saying, the Uptime of a Rock and Roll Star! His look, his style, his attitude and his message makes him very desirable and embracing and that is exactly what the fans did as he finished his show with a 20 minute rendition of "Let Love Rule" by first inviting a fan from the audience to play bongos, then walking the entire floor from the front row to the back balcony, greeting, hugging, shaking hands and stopping to sing with the fans as he made his way from one side of the room to the other. Somewhat chaotic but a definite crowd pleaser.
If there is one show to see this year, there is NO Doubt it is the Lenny Kravitz concert! Worth the wait and every penny of the ticket price! Highly recommended as one of the real soulful rock and roll performers on the road today!