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“Brisbane was wild,” the (funk) rocker wrote on his social media after some rude hair-pulling. The incident went viral on Sunday (November 23rd): Lenny Kravitz had four dreadlocks plucked from his iconic mat during a show in Brisbane, Australia.
The New York online magazine “Stereogum” is already talking about a “grabbing crisis” in pop music. The rude action is part of a series of current attacks on artists, ranging from inappropriate touching to dangerous handling. Only in the past few weeks have videos of border crossings against Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Halsey and Ariana Grande circulated.
Kravitz’s reaction seems almost stoic in comparison – but the incident underscores a growing problem: the erosion of physical boundaries in the live music context.
Four dreadlocks during “Let Love Rule”
During his “Blue Electric Light” tour, which is taking him back to Australia for the first time since 2012, the 61-year-old from Manhattan fell victim to a spectator at his concert at the Brisbane Entertainment Center: She tore off four of his iconic dreadlocks during his traditional walk through the crowd.
That happened during the encore with “Let Love Rule,” the song in which Kravitz has literally eliminated the distance between stage and audience for decades.
In an Instagram video, he described the moment with a mixture of bewilderment and composure: “A very excited young lady ripped four dreadlocks out of the back of my head. You can imagine how hard you have to pull to get them out.”
Despite the obvious pain, the musician has no intention of giving up this tradition. “This is our moment together,” he emphasized. “Brisbane, you are wild – I love you.”
Three decades of rock history on stage
Beyond the oddities, Kravitz wows Australian audiences with a high-energy show celebrating his album Blue Electric Light and more than three decades of rock history. Hits like “Fly Away,” “American Woman” and “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over” are on the setlist.
There are also a few surprises: To celebrate his 30th birthday, Kravitz is digging up tracks from his 1995 album “Circus” and so-called catalog gems à la “Rock and Roll Is Dead”.
For Kravitz, the tour means a return to an audience that has accompanied him since his first trip to Australia in 1994 – and which has always been particularly close to him with a number 1 hit (“Are You Gonna Go My Way”).
“Let Love Rule” – even if it hurts sometimes
Despite increasingly strange fans, the musician continues to show the openness that makes him so unique live. The message he left behind in Brisbane sounds like a silent statement against fear and alienation: “Let Love Rule” – even if it sometimes hurts.