Gig review: Lenny Kravitz

Published on Friday 26 June 2009 23:11

** O2 ACADEMY, GLASGOW

DESPITE the musical evidence that Lenny Kravitz just habitually plugs in and zones out to the land that relevance forgot, he made a concerted effort to engage with the crowd at his first Scottish gig in he-didn't-know-how-long by taking to the stage in a low-slung black leather kilt, even though he was "not used to this dress s***".

In his absence from these shores he has discovered 21st century sounds. Only joking – he remains stuck around 1972 on the secondhand likes of Where Are We Runnin' and Bring It On. Please don't bring it on, if all you can muster are these by-the-numbers retro rockers. Conversely, the sweet and sultry It Ain't Over Til It's Over was still a classy smooch.

His brass section kicked up a squall on set-opener Freedom Train and the indulgent funk soul jam of Flower Child, but had to fight their corner next to musicians who believe that a concert isn't a concert without show-off solos, the most tedious being the blaring guitar break during the pedestrian power ballad I'll Be Waiting. Even some of the best-loved hits, such as American Woman were drawn out beyond all interest.

However, Kravitz was a charming host and seemed genuinely stirred by all the throwback bluster and the audience response. Towards the end of the set, he delighted the crowd by climbing down from the stage with his camera to take indiscriminate snaps of the front rows and different sections of the audience – and then a quick shot up his kilt. By this point, the fans were ready to adopt him as a true Scotsman, regardless of the photographic results.