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Taken from Thread (August 04, 2003)
Michael Franti & Spearhead Postpone Auckland Show due To Illness
Michael Franti & Spearhead Show Changes
 The Frontier Touring Company wish to advise that the Auckland show by San Franciscan group Michael Franti & Spearhead scheduled for tonight has been rescheduled to tomorrow night (Tuesday 5 August).
Michael Franti had a medical condition that hospitalised him in the USA and made his arrival into New Zealand one day late causing the group to reschedule it's New Zealand shows.
This change means that the Wellington show at the Starlight Ballroom originally set for Tuesday 5 August has been cancelled.
The groups tight touring plans means that the Wellington show cannot be rescheduled on this trip.
All tickets for the Wellington show are available for a full refund from point of purchase.
If you have any questions regarding ticketing for the Auckland show please go to your point of purchase. The Frontier Touring Company apologises for any inconvenience.
"In a pop world dominated by pipe-cleaner bimbos and testosterone-addled rock idiots, every now and then an act of class and substance creeps underneath the wire." Andrew Denton
At a time thick with political tensions it seems somewhat appropriate that an artist who has made political messages his mainstay should visit our shores this August. Dubbed the "gentle giant" by international media Michael Franti has hovered beneath the mainstream consciousness for almost a decade. Always outspoken about his political and social beliefs, Franti and Spearhead have recently joined a list of artists in America dubbed "anti-American" as a result of their stance against war.
Michael Franti and Spearhead's music is a delicious blend of rap, soul, reggae, R&B, funk, jazz and latin. Add to this, powerful lyrics with a challenging message and an overwhelming charisma from the leading man and it's easy to see why Michael Franti and Spearhead are converting mainstream music followers to their style of music. As Franti put it in an interview with Popmatters "I feel it is my responsibility, my goal, to try to make difficult messages easy to understand and that's what my craft is.I don't know if music can change the world overnight but it can help us make it through a difficult night and sometimes that's all we need, just to make it into tomorrow." Michael Franti and Spearhead's new album Everyone Deserves Music is released in New Zealand on June 6. It's a fantastic hybrid of influences, with two particular highlights Pray For Grace and Bomb The Word (Armageddon Version) pairing Franti with industry icons Sly and Robbie (Grace Jones,, Rolling Stones, Black Uhuru, No Doubt). Other singles show a Franti that is funkier than ever. Unquestionably this is the definitive album in Franti and Spearhead's career.
For those fortunate enough to have secured a ticket to their past live shows, the power of Franti's personality remains foremost in the mind. Franti exudes a presence that is difficult to resist. In many ways his shows are almost a religious experience for his audiences - such is the strength of Franti's personality, the message he conveys and the music he performs. Attendees are spellbound by the performance, oblivious to everything but the music until the last note has died in the air around them. Past tours to New Zealand have seen audiences line up for up to an hour after the shows to share a moment with Michael Franti - to receive a hug and a word from him - a tradition that he repeats show after show, night after night.
Without doubt Michael Franti and Spearhead are a band set to revolutionize the music scene. As a live act they are an experience that won't be forgotten. Make sure you secure your tickets early as the numbers converting to Franti and Spearhead are escalating by the day.
AUGUST 2003
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