Life List #37: See Lenny Kravitz in person

Concert going is definitely a hobby that I've seen range from "go when tickets come my way" to "it's my favorite way to spend available time and money." I have friends all over the spectrum, and I've usually fallen closer to the "it's nice if it's easy" spot. I'm also more likely to seek out concerts of the symphonic nature than the rock arena type, though I like almost any good music.

If I were to choose my absolute favorite rock 'n' roller, it would be Lenny Kravitz - I've loved his hard-driving guitar since I was in high school and heard the opening riff of "Are You Gonna Go My Way" for the first time, and have picked up his CDs and downloaded his music pretty frequently over the years. He shows up on many of my running playlists, motivating my steps over many, many miles.

His ultra cool, uber hip swagger adds a little something to my love of his music, and if there was going to be one concert on my Life List, it was going to this guy. But how to make it happen? When I looked online, it appeared that he toured almost exclusively in Asia and sometimes Europe, with infrequent to nonexistent tour dates in the U.S. Except... except for that one concert that was booked within driving distance of Fayetteville. Lenny was listed a headliner at the Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis! I couldn't believe it - it might have been his only domestic tour stop that year, and I happened to be in a place that made it feasible to be there.

Now - with whom would I go? I'm cool with going solo, but these things are almost better with a friend. I reached out to my female West Point classmates and almost immediately got a response from Melissa, one of the "definitely my thing" concert enthusiasts. I had a partner in crime - let's do this!

Of course, if you're going to do a whirlwind weekend in Memphis, you gotta hit all the highlights. I picked Melissa up from the airport and we hit a couple of highlights in the area. First, the ducks at the Peabody Hotel, then a few hours touring Graceland, the home of another guy who was another amazing live act!!

From there we checked into the hotel, caught our breath, then headed back out to hit the concert venue. The Festival is huge - multiple stages, tons of acts, food booths, and people everywhere. Like, an overwhelming mass of people, people and more people. For any old concert, it might've been too much for me, but for Lenny? I could do this!

Melissa is a concert expert, so I followed her lead. It was a pleasant May evening, and we got lucky with no rain and warm temps.

 As the headliner, that also meant Lenny was one of the last acts of the night, so we wandered between stages to see what acts looked interesting, and hit the merchandise tent where I got me a t-shirt souvenir. While Lenny was the highlight, it was also pretty darn cool that I got to see Slash rocking out on the stage right next to the main stage. That guy has some crazy skills.

Finally, as the clock approached 11pm (and Melissa had been up since about 4am East Coast time!!), it was time for the show!! Lenny definitely did not disappoint - he played many of his most popular songs along with new ones mixed in. His live act was as good as his recordings; a real talent who could sing, play and groove. The crowd was alive, and it was an amazing experience to be a part of it.

For the millionth time, I'll say how grateful I am that a friend encouraged me to write my bucket list down. It has spurred me to do things I once might've only said "I wish I could..." With my list, though, that phrase is "I'm going to..." and when the opportunity arises, I grab it. It's definitely made my life richer and more exciting along the way!