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Taken from Albany Student Press (January 25, 2011)
Michael Franti and others heat up a cold Albany
by KC Orcutt
Photo by Dan Foote
Michael Franti performed at Northern Lights
last week to a sold out crowd leaving
the place completely packed. |
The glass doors and windows of Northern Lights were visibly foggy as a wave of heat, sweat, and booming vocals crashed over a carefree crowd this past Friday night.
Michael Franti and Spearhead greeted Albany, N.Y. with an ever-present cheerful smile as he delivered his delightful blend of pop rock, funk, hip-hop and reggae to a sold-out crowd.
The band was originally scheduled to play October 25th but rescheduled due to a medical emergency. The turnout for the event was spectacular, with roughly 1,000 people packed into the venue, sandwiching the bar and pressing towards the stage. The parking lot was bursting past its capacity, with several cars getting towed for creative parking in snow banks.
Fitz and the Tantrums, hailing from Los Angeles, helped to warm up the deadly January chill, opening for Franti and his band. Fitz and the Tantrums are fairly new to the music scene, forming in late 2008, but took to the stage like seasoned soul veterans. The six-piece is a soul-infused indie pop rock group that is heavy on the horns and organ, and notably builds their sound sans guitar. Highlights from their set included songs off their debut full length, "MoneyGrabber" and "Pickin' Up The Pieces."
Michael Franti and his band merrily skipped onto the stage and began their set with high energy that carried on consistently throughout the entire set. Behind the band was a backdrop that featured a large graphic of a character wearing huge headphones, along with the band's logo.
Franti introduced his band and the group eased into the evening, playing off to start "Love Don't Wait" and "The Thing That Helps Me Get Through."
Franti, rocking his well-known waist-length dreads, was characteristically barefoot on stage and constantly moving to the music. The crowd followed suite, and played along with "Light Up Ya Lighta" and several sparks sprinkled throughout the crowd, as concert-goers waved their arms in the air.
Highlights of the show included a capalla moments with Franti and the crowd, such as to his hit single, "The Sound Of Sunshine" and the cover of Sublime's "What I Got."
Clearly a fan favorite, "The Sound of Sunshine" was performed for about twice the length of the radio version, with fans clapping and singing along, as beads of sweat dripped off Franti and his guitar alike. Franti played the dance-happy "Shake It" and then toned down the tempo playing the soulful "Gloria."
Occasionally, one would look up and Franti would be immerged in the crowd to resurface on another small stage, set-up to the right of the main stage. Towards the end of the set, Franti returned to the stage with several fans to dance along and two lucky fans got to play along on air guitar to Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit,"
The evening was capped off with "Say Hey (I Love You) and another rendition of "The Sound of Sunshine."
Overall, this performance was a pleasant mixture of tunes that transported Albany, if only for a mere few hours, out of dreary winter into a happy summer beach scene with Franti and his band as musical tour guides.
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