TORONTO - Watching the news the other day, my better half remarked how much strife exists all over the world.

"It would be great if the media focussed on good news for just a week," I offered.

"That's not their job," she countered.

Of course, we're not the only ones that feel this way.

Enter rocker Lenny Kravitz with lyrics like:

I'm tired of all the negativity that's going round,

We focus all our energy on things that bring us down,

Let's put all our voices together

And make a joyful sound.

Those lines come from Live, off his fifth album titled, natch, 5.

And it was the second song Kravitz and company performed in front of a sold-out crowd of 16,000 at the Molson Amphitheatre last night.

But there was something about the passion and energy with which it was delivered that gave you the distinct feeling you were in for a special night.

The eight-member group turned Live into a bit of a jam session -- as they're wont to do with most of the material they perform, not that there's anything wrong with that -- and wrapped it up with drummer extraordinaire Cindy Blackman standing and giving the skins a righteous beating.

Put it this way: If you'd walked in at that point, you'd think you were witnessing the last song of the night.

And that's what makes Kravitz' shows legendary.

From the minute he struts on stage -- and 16,000 people will tell you that few rockers strut like our man -- he kicks out the jams with a fervour that most bands seem to save for their encores.

And, oh, the showmanship!

Decked in cowboy boots, vinyl pants, a pink shirt and black-and-purple boa, Kravitz danced, shuffled and gesticulated wildly, much like an excited two-year-old.

He knocked his mike stand down a couple of times, paced the stage and even ventured into the crowd at one point.

Musically, Kravitz is all over the map but the funk is a major factor of his program.

If you were new to his music and were wondering what was in store, the anwswers came blasting out of the PA prior to his set: Heads bobbed to soul and funk classics like Respect Yourself, Express Yourself, Freddie's Dead and We're Gonna Have A Funky Good Time.

It was not a coincidence that James Brown's We're Gonna Have A Funky Good Time was the last song we heard before Kravitz brought his super soul vibrations to the people.

JAM! Rating: 5 out of 5