Michael Franti and Spearhead - Newport Music Hall, Columbus OH - 9.30.09
Posted by Jeff Modzelewski on 10.07.2009
The Rude Boys came back to Columbus for a show at the Newport Music Hall. The OSU campus provided a perfect setting for Franti's funky, ecclectic style
After hearing Michael Franti and Spearhead at Rothbury 2008, I knew that I enjoyed the band and that they were a lot of fun. Their talent and energy were apparent, even during a mid-day festival set. After hearing some more of their music on Sirius radio and through some friends, I got really interested in what the band was all about. The genre-bending music, the social and political lyrics, and just the energy and enthusiasm that Franti brought to his music had me very intrigued. It's been over a year since Rothbury 2008, but I was able to finally catch Franti again at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus.
Michael Franti truly knows how to excite and move a crowd. From the opening lines of "A Little Bit of Riddim" through the encore, Franti had the crowd dancing, jumping, throwing glow sticks, hugging, and just having a lot of fun. Franti maintained a high energy level throughout the entire first half of his set, with no break to speak of. "Hello Bonjour" had the crowd singing along with the chorus, which was a common occurrence for the show. The crowd, which varied from high school and college kids to folks in their 50's, were for the most part more than just casual fans, and they were just as excited for "I Got Love For You" as they were for "Everyone Deserves Music."
Another way that Franti was able to keep the crowd engaged was by mixing a wide array of covers into his songs. While he didn't cover any song in it's entirety, he had no problem inserting a verse here and there into his own work. It wasn't at all surprising to hear the Franti pull off covers from his own reggae/R&B roots like "Red Red Wine" or "Stir it Up." What was surprising was how well he added songs that were outside of what you would expect. He easily blended a Peter Tosh song with The Grateful Dead's "Casey Jones." He did a slow, stripped down version of "Tainted Love." He even threw in a bit of "Smells Like Teen Spirit," and brought a couple audience members on stage to "help out" on guitar (their guitars weren't actually plugged in). With all of the covers, Franti provided moments of familiarity for everyone, even those who didn't know much of Franti beyond "Say Hey (I Love You)."
The few times that Franti did bring the energy down turned out to be pretty spectacular also. There were a pair of acoustic interludes throughout the show. The first included a surprising acoustic version of "East To The West," while the second, not surprisingly, had a beautiful version of "Hey World." Franti and the band are masters of keeping a crowd moving, but these more stripped-down moments proved that the band could rely only on their musicianship and still put on a show.
"Yell Fire" provided a real turning point for the set. It wasn't the main set closer, but it provided the emotional and musical high point for the show. After playing guitar for the first half of the song, Franti came into the crowd, dreadlocks flying, for the second verse. There's an obvious love that Franti has for performing, and, being all of 5 feet from him, it was impossible not to see that. After a couple more songs, he closed out the main set with "I Got Love For You." The encore was as impressive as the main set, starting out with "Everybody Ona Move," complete with a "Billie Jean" interpolation and an impressive moonwalk from Franti. "Hey World (Remote Control Version) was next, and, not surprisingly, "Say Hey (I Love You)" closed the show. Franti introduced the song by saying that the band had been together for 15 years and never made it into the top 40,000, so it was pretty special for the song to be a Top 40 hit. He then brought some of the younger audience members up on stage to help sing the song and close out the show.
Trevor Hall provided a solid opening set, and his band was very impressive. He's a capable singer/songwriter, and, although the white guy with dreadlocks look is a little cliché, his music wasn't. He did what an opening act is supposed to do, that is, get the crowd excited and ready for the main show. He even was able to get the crowd to sing a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday" for his mom over the phone, which was a lot of fun.
Being at a Franti show is very much being a part of a community. Franti isn't just blowing smoke when he sings about peace, love, and community. Those are real values for him, things that he and the band believe in and are willing to stand up for. He had a lot to say during his set, and it was almost all focused on bringing people together, remaining positive, promoting peace, and loving everyone. Franti has lived that out throughout his work outside of music, and he also promotes several non-profits at his shows. This work is an integral part of Franti the musician, but it doesn't take away from what a great performer he is. Overall, the show was a wonderful experience, and I'm going to be sure to check out the band whenever they come through town again.
The 411: Michael Franti and Spearhead put on a spectacular show. The show started out strong, and kept going for nearly two hours. It had been a long time since I jumped and danced as much as I did during Franti's set. Their CD's are worth checking out, but, in order to get the full Spearhead experience, you need to see them in concert.
