Rock’s sexiest man sizzles at Sydney gig

You or someone you know in Australia right now has a recurring case of tinnitus, a whiplashed neck or frozen shoulder, and a maxed-out credit card.

The rock nostalgists – and their kids – are enjoying one of the greatest months of live concert events ever.

Oasis got the ball rolling with its pub choir on steroids, Metallica ignited stadiums with its ferocious metal onslaught, and AC/DC reaffirmed its claim to be the greatest rock’n’roll band still doing it in their sixth decade with the triumphant homecoming shows of the Power Up world tour.

In the midst of this maelstrom of stadium guitars and drums, Lenny Kravitz opened his first tour of Australia in 13 years at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney on Tuesday.

The 61-year-old rock god has been on the road with his Blue Electric Light tour, in honour of his 12th studio album, since February and has honed a tight setlist and arena production that shows off all of his powers.

An early highlight of the opening show of his national tour was the Prince-challenging blast of funkified rock “TK421”.

The lead single from last year’s record exploded the internet with its video, starring the ripped rock Adonis with an eight-pack performing butt naked in a mansion doing everyday things like brushing his teeth and not putting clothes on. It’s very NSFW.

In concert, the man who works out in leather pants at 2am keeps it PG in his trad rock uniform of tight blue jeans, leather jacket and mesh top.

There was barely a millimetre of flesh in sight on the big screens, which broadcast a lot of Lenny, and rightfully so, throughout the gig.

He shared screen time and crowd cheers with band members well known to fans, particularly his longtime guitarist and collaborator Craig Ross and drummer Jas Kayser.

The set switched up a gear, as they tend to do with an artist who hasn’t been here for yonks, when he pressed the nostalgia hit button with the 1991 hit “Always on the Run”.

Then the audience, all of the couples, the girlfriends, the mates who love guitars, started jiving.

“Sydney, Australia, we made it. It’s been far too long since we’ve been here to celebrate with you,” Kravitz said when he took time to catch a breath from being a guitar-shredding, hip-gyrating, dreads-swinging god.

“I promise you we will be back very often. (There’s) new music in the fall (next year); we’re gonna come back here because I need you. I do.”

During his longest address to the crowd, the music monk of love – who has said he has been celibate for several years – preached about the unifying moment of a concert in the middle of global chaos.

“Times are gonna get tougher, they are going to try to divide us but there is no division (and) tonight is a celebration of that,” he said.

Kravitz played frontman and showman, ripping the electric guitar, funking out on the bass, strumming the acoustic, and deftly tinkling the ivories as he sang note perfect. He probably doesn’t get as much credit as his due for the range and soul of his vocals.

Like 90 per cent of live concerts, there’s that inevitable dip in the middle, when the dancers resume their seats and there’s that regular procession to the bathrooms and bars as the artist gives you the new stuff.

But Kravitz knows he has an arsenal of 90s rock anthems to bring it home, with his Guess Who cover of “American Woman”, into “Fly Away” and rounding out the set with the stomping “Are You Gonna Go My Way.”

The latest road warrior embarking on a run around the country closed out his gig, as he always does, with “Let Love Rule”, the debut single that launched him in 1989.

And then walked the entire floor through the crowd, slapping hands and throwing out the “love yous” to besotted believers beamed onto screens. It almost felt intimate.

* Lenny Kravitz heads to Newcastle Entertainment Centre on November 19, Brisbane Entertainment Centre on November 21, John Cain Arena on November 25, Mildura Sporting Precinct on November 28 and the bp Adelaide Grand Final on November 29.

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