Lenny Kravitz
Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land, Texas
Written and Photographed by Stacey Lovett
Lenny Kravitz’s Raise Vibration tour wasn’t just a performance truly from the heart but a campaign for a revolution – one where love rules – and fans at Sugar Land’s Smart Financial Centre were reminded that with a little openness of heart ‘we can get it all together.’
Kravitz opened with that very single which set a precedent for the rest of the night – a high, yet attainable, bar for everyone to work towards raising the collective vibration through raising their own. An artist who always advocated for the notion of letting your spirit fly high and making your spiritual contribution to the world, he has embodied making that mindset a conscious movement in response to the times with this particular tour. Heavy bass, drums, and trinity of brass cleared the negativity in the air and set the rhythm for the night to empower not only his ideas but an openness to a blending of sound and spirit. The fusion of reggae, funk, and jazz into his signature rock sound proved a musical shift where the push is for us to slowly come together as a people, and through music, this sentiment is mirrored. Proof that the pseudo-idyllic rock and roll lifestyle he sang out against in 2011’s “Rock and Roll is Dead” is being pushed to higher levels today to infuse and transmit more quality into the collective; that rock and roll isn’t really dead but perhaps just evolving. And that notion of evolution – of self – and coming together in pureness towards the cause is how we’re going to heal as a people and what greater platform to advocate it than music.
To evoke true stillness of heart, Kravitz asked the audience to put their phones away and tap into the technology of their hearts, souls, and minds. He even set his guitar aside at the end as he invited everyone to join in for a tender harmony of the chorus. He led a congregation of love that night, preaching for a resurgence of oneness and keeping the love alive as he extended his arms out taking it right back in to give it back out twofold. He truly invests himself in the moment of his own music, his own high vibration, and the unity of the sound of his entire band, bringing it all together into a powerful display on stage yet somehow bringing the entire gathering in as one. “Can’t Get You Off My Mind” lent a little country flair to the set rounding out the full range of styles that came out of our American history, a fusion that rose out of its own darkness but found the light, the spirit, and remains a reminder of how it takes being broken apart to cultivate the awareness of the power in coming back together. The crowd took in this mood of the show embracing the power and steadfastness of love, clarifying the energy so much just in that short time and undoubtedly taking much of that with them. With that levity of heart came a little grounding of mind as he brought in “a couple songs about race” into the set with “Mr. Cab Driver” and “Bank Robber Man” done so in a way to cultivate healing through awareness and rising above it within ourselves, remembering that basis of love, and identifying as a survivor not a victim for it is in those roots that the importance lies and in rebuilding them we can only grow higher.
“Are You Gonna Go My Way” finished out the set and brought a reprise of the future with two phenomenal young local musicians, introduced only as Clifton and Melody on guitar and bass respectively, who in their lack of years made up for it in their level of passion and intensity, tore it up alongside Lenny onstage as he nurtured the hope of all that is to come to continue the passage into this higher vibration and raise it even more.
The opening lyrics to “Here to Love” summed up Lenny Kravitz’s entire crusade during the encore: “We must all unite for we are one creation/we must join the fight, together we are strong/we must do what’s right in every situation/love each other’s lives as you would do your own.” Flanked in silhouette by a choir his intent rang loud into the night into “Let Love Rule” where he invited the audience to come together and sing in unison that very mantra, inviting every fan from the very back of the room to lend their energy and responsibility in standing tall and spreading that positivity out into the world. Kravitz spread his own into the audience as he came offstage and made a round through the venue as those three powerful words played on loop until the potency of them were well infused into the ears and more importantly the hearts of everyone there.
His final request was for everyone in the audience, regardless of knowing each other, to join hands in the air and see that this is what America truly is. Unity and love. And with his mission being to spread the love and raise the vibration, Lenny Kravitz absolutely ruled the night with nothing less and left knowing that his own love and energy will continue to ripple out into the world.
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HOUSTON SETLIST: We Can Get It All Together; Fly Away; Dig In; American Woman (The Guess Who cover); Get Up, Stand Up (The Wailers cover); Fields of Joy; Freedom Train; Who Really Are the Monsters?; Stillness of Heart; It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over; Can’t Get You Off My Mind; Low; I Belong to You; Mr. Cab Driver; Bank Robber Man; Why Are We Runnin’?; Are You Gonna Go My Way; Are You Gonna Go My Way (reprise w/Clifton & Melody) Encore: Here to Love; Let Love Rule