Ian Astbury of The Cult strives to invoke rock's archetypes in his songs, and in some way, his band's performance did achieve mythic proportions Tuesday. The show at the University of Notre Dame's Joyce Athletic & Convocation Center was the last night that singer Lenny Kravitz opened for The Cult, and the two acts played outrageous pranks during each other's set to see who could be more of a distraction. But between the moonings and pratfalls, The Cult and Kravitz served up primal, potent licks of rock 'n' roll for an appreciative, if small audience. During a break between sets, ACC programming manager Joe Sassano estimated the size of the audience at 2,000 to 3,000 people. The capacity for a concert is about 10,000 seats. Tickets for the show, promoted by the university's Student Activities office, went on sale about two weeks prior to the event. Still, the crowd responded rapturously to the raven-haired Astbury. One of rock's most charismatic singers, he never stoops to air-guitar stances or even stands still on stage more than a few seconds. Guitarist Billy Duffy, in his jeans and flannel shirt, is a dirty-blond American Gothic foil to Astbury's lean, black-leather look. He brandished his Gibson Les Paul like a pitchfork Tuesday, hurling power chords into the upper reaches of the JACC bleachers as if they were hay bales. Suspended speakers made it easier to get a good view of the stage. The high-tech computer illumination swirled geometric shapes across a huge silken backdrop, rippling it with blue moisture or fanning ruby coals. Sweet Soul Sister, White and Fire Woman were among the best-received songs in the band's 90 minute set. Earth Mofo, from the recent Ceremony album, released the tightly wound rhythm section of Kim Wolf and Mike Lee to prove that bass and drum solos needn't be cliche. Duffy's thick, crunchy guitar riffs and Astbury's always watchable antics recall other classic singer/guitarist pairings such as Daltry and Townsend, Jagger and Richards, Plant and Page. During the band's rendition of Sun King, Kravitz ran out on stage in a furry loincloth to momentarily harass Astbury. The show ended at 10:30 p.m. with an encore of Love Removal Machine. But even without the benefit of the The Cult's high-tech light rig, a dreadlocked Kravitz nearly snatched the show's focus from Astbury and Duffy.

A strong 45 minute set of soul rockers, including Stop Draggin Around and Fields of Joy, from his Mama Said album, struck golden chords. But surprisingly, the singer left that same record's No. 2 hit, It Ain't Over Till It's Over, unperformed. The performer refused to let mid-set problems with the drum kit and the band's monitors faze him. Images of blooming foliage illustrated the pastoral lyrics and underscored the pulsing synths of I Build This Garden for Us. Impressively, Kravitz invested his anti-prejudice Mr. Cab Driver with renewed resolve. He concluded his rock 'n' soul revival with an old-fashioned, heartwarming audience sing-along on the authentic track from his first album, Let Love Rule. "Please everyone join hands with the brother or sister next to you," he asked. We've got to learn to love one another let's make a start right here.

Ceremony
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Love Removal Machine