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Taken from 77 Square (October 10, 2010)
Michael Franti brings relentless positive vibe to Overture
by AARON R. CONKLIN | Special to 77 Square
There are performers who can energize a crowd with their charisma, talent and musicianship.
And then there's Michael Franti, who blows them away with a20-foot cannon of upbeat. Catching one of his concerts is like plugging yourself into 1,000 volts of catchy musical sunshine, set to an irresistible rock-reggae beat.
The last time Franti and his dreadlocks breezed through Madison,it was the night sky over Union Terrace he and his rock-steady band Spearhead ignited. Clearly, when your songs are being featured on movie soundtracks and fronted on Corona Beer commercials, you rate a bigger venue.
Yet even the confines of the jam-packed Overture Center's Capitol Theater didn't seem enough to contain Franti's electricity last night. It was nearly an hour into his two-plus hour set when he first slowed down his giraffe-pattern guitar, broke out a stool and finally took a seat, giving the audience a ready excuse to sit down and rest their feet.
He stayed in it less than half a song.
Fresh on the heels of a day that featured July-like weather in October, it was clearly a perfect night for upbeat. How else to explain why opening act Tamarama ducked in a ukulele-fueld cover of Bobby McFerrin's "Don't Worry, Be Happy?"
Franti didn't let the happy vibe drop even a notch. Bouncingaround the stage in his trademark bare feet and shouting "How you feeling, ya'll?" to the crowd every few minutes, the San-Fran based guitarist had the crowd rocking right away with "Love Don't Wait."
You go into most musicians' shows hoping they'll approximate thepolished professionalism of the music on the disc. With Franti, it's the exact opposite-his recordings don't convey a fraction of what the man's able to deliver live. On disc, a tune like "Hey Hey Hey" is a quietly uplifting guitar ballad buoyed by some gentle harmony and backing vocals. Live, Franti turned it into an extended jumping, dancing sing-aloing that had him climbing into the crowds in the upper balcony - yes, the upper balcony - to personally make sure the positive vibes reached the rafters.
Spearhead was in fine form, with Dave Shul and Carl Young delivering laser-sharp guitar and bass solos from all corners of Franti's discography. Together, they rocked the house with tunes like "Everybody Deserves Music" with its guitar and keyboard riffs that sound like they've been copped from a U2 single, to tunes like "The Sound of Sunshine" from Franti's latest (and relentlessly upbeat) album.
There was no shortage of clever stagecraft. When the band broke into "The Only Thing Missing Was You," fog and lights made it seem like the band was performing in front of a gigantic Jamaican flag. When Franti sang the bridge-chorus line from "Anytime You Need Me" ("I watch the stars with a million other people ... ") mirror-ball spotlights created the effect for the entire room.
Audience participation? Franti had that covered too, including a special Facebook-prompted cookie delivery to his stage crew and a group dance fest set to "Shake It."
Ever the political and enviro-minded activist, Franti's using his current tour to boost Soles 4 Souls, a nonprofit that provides shoes to children in troubled countries.
As he pulled scads of children from the audience up onto the stage to help belt out his final song - what else? - "Say Hey (I Love You)" - they were all ready to leave their loafers in his tender care.
Y'know, since they, just like the rest of the audience, had already handed over their hearts.
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