As I mentioned in the first of the trio of essays about last weekend, while the Ali 70/Power of Love gala took place on Saturday, the ancillary events began on Friday with a VIP Cocktail Reception held Downtown, at the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, and kept going until after Lenny Kravitz’s concert at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, on Sunday night (and if you wanna be really nitpicky, the après-concert dinner hosted by Gelila and Wolfgang Puck, at Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill).

So, here’s the skinny from Sunday.  A bunch of us, including Wicked Creative founder, Stephanie Wilson; Kristin Graves; restaurateur Drew Nieporent; and Bobby Schagrin, whose Crush Wine & Spirits is the go-to wine resource for many a savvy NYer; met-up at Nob Hill at MGM Grand, to grab a quick nibble before heading over once more to the Grand Garden Arena, where Lenny Kravitz and friends (including Lil Jon, Raphael Saadiq, Slash, and Joe Perry) were appearing as the de facto finale of a weekend dedicated to Muhammad Ali, for the Las Vegas stop on Kravitz’s Black and White America tour.

The concert was amazing, and Lenny was at the top of his game.  His energy was incredible and his voice was clear and strong.  Also, he performed my favorite LK song, “Fields of Joy” – so I was pretty jazzed.  After the concert, a group of us headed backstage, to Lenny’s dressing room; and I ran into Terrence Howard, who (having met me the night before, when we were all heading to 1OAK, for the after-after-party) gave me a gentle ribbing about my decision not to wear a dress (a reference to my cheongsam from Saturday).

After this, we proceeded to the private dining room at Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill, where Gelila and Wolfgang Puck hosted an impromptu supper for the group (that now included Lenny, Terrence, Nicole Ruvo, Zoli Kovacs, Drew, Bobby, and the incomparable Quincy Jones).

It was an evening of music, food, folks, and fun – and a perfectly wonderful way to wrap-up a truly inspired weekend.

Lenny Kravitz
Black and White America Tour
Click HERE for info

Get into it!

Editor’s Note:  The album, Black and White America, is rather fierce.  Kravitz is at the top of his game; delivering a healthy dose of his signature retro rock realness.  Get into it!