By: David Schultz

Twenty years ago, an uninspired and jaded Generation X pondered their future while staring at a bleak job market, the trickle down economics of Reagan era failing to bring about feelings of prosperity or any sense of hope in America’s youth. At the same time, a disenfranchised demographic moved their interest from the boy bands and formulaic pop that flourish during economic upswings to the flannel-draped hordes flooding out of the Pacific Northwest. Capturing the zeitgeist, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice & Chains and the rest of their brethren turned self-loathing, insecurity and good old-fashioned rage into grunge rock, possibly saving rock and roll in the process. In contrast to the moody cynicism of the grunge rockers, Lenny Kravitz unleashed Let Love Rule, a psychedelic-drenched, flower-power collection that espoused a message of peace, love and harmony, owing as much to the peacenik nature of the Beatles as it did to Jimi Hendrix’ incendiary interpretation of the blues.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Two decades later, we face a floundering economy, a job market sitting at its nadir and Lenny Kravitz’ eternally optimistic and live-affirming attitude is as necessary and gloriously anachronistic to the times as it was back then. To celebrate the milestone of his debut album’s release, Kravitz has devoted his set list to reviving healthy portions of Let Love Rule, still his finest effort. Last week, Kravitz (finally) finished up his five night New York City residency at The Fillmore at Irving Plaza. Originally scheduled to take place two weeks ago, Kravitz postponed the show, not wanting to turn in a subpar performance after his voice gave out on him.

Declaring the evening family night, Kravitz played with his daughter Zoe, who opened the show, perched atop one of the speakers along the side of the stage. Instead of playing Let Love Rule in its entirety, as has become the fashion, Kravitz used selected songs as a framework to resurrect the feeling and mood of the album. The steamroller guitar riffs of “Freedom Train” and “Mr. Cab Driver” remained tight and concise but on “Flower Child” and “Blues For Sister Someone,” Kravitz led the band through extended jams that flowed through organ leads and solos from the horn section. Stretching the songs out also let Kravitz show off his versatility, permitting him to show off the keyboards and jump behind the drum kit.

The free flow of the opening half of the show gave way to a run through Kravitz’ post-Let Love Rule greatest hits. More apropos for stadiums and amphitheaters, Kravitz’ proven arena-rockers like “Always On The Run” and “American Woman” blew the roof off The Fillmore and the ultra-funky elastic spring of the bass line of “Fly Away” got the tightly-packed throng to ignore the overcrowded dance floor. (When large acts come to Irving Plaza, the sound board and extra equipment take up to eight times as much room than that of the bands that usually play the venue; it hardly seems as if the venue adjust admission accordingly).

After an acoustic solo rendition of “Stillness Of Heart,” Kravitz closed the night with a lengthy version of “Let Love Rule,” urging the crowd to sing along until the message became ingrained in their psyche and fostering the communal spirit by jumping down from the stage to mingle with the masses. The Fillmore at Irving Plaza bears a fleeting, exceedingly corporate relationship to Bill Graham’s original venue. For five shows though, Kravitz’ heady vibe came closer to reconnecting with the ghosts of the Fillmore’s past than any number of posters and branding could ever accomplish.

HALLOWEEN 2009 WAS ALL ABOUT THE ROLLING STONES. After weeks of speculation, Phish chose to cover Exile On Main Street for Halloween at Festival 8 in Indio, California and Gov't Mule's first set on October 31 consisted solely of Stones classics. Even Mick Jagger himself took to the stage, albeit on Halloween eve, popping up on stage at Madison Square Garden during U2's Friday night set at the Rock & Roll Fame concerts to sing "Gimme Shelter" with Bono and The Black-Eyed Peas (Yes, that sentence is factually accurate).

Labels: Gov't Mule, Lenny Kravitz, Phish, The Rolling Stones