Michael Franti
Prince Bandroom
April 6, 2009
To go to a Michael Franti gig is to get a big serve of happy. And how. But what I really like is that it’s a different dish each time. Last week’s acoustic session at the Prince Bandroom was a downsized version of other Franti line-ups I’ve seen – bass player Carl Young was the only band member flying the Spearhead flag – but what was lacking in number was more than made up for in the sheer energy of lead guitarist, Jake. Like an eager to please puppy, he was exhuberance personified and was clearly making the most of the spotlight. With a shaggy mop and cheeky grin, this Gen Y talent would fit right in on most reality TV music shows, but that’s not to undersell his ability – he rocked it out all night.
Entering under cover of darkness to the Marley classic ‘I Shot the Sheriff’, the trio got down to business with energetic renditions of ‘Pray For Grace’, ‘Hey World’ (Remote Control Version) and ‘Yes I Will’, before easing down a notch with ‘East To The West’. The tribal ‘Yell Fire’ brought the crowd to its feet, as did old favourite ‘Sometimes’ (a nod to the Stay Human days), but the acoustic setting meant that ballads like the peace-broking ‘Never Too Late’ were the real standouts.
No Franti show would be complete without a jam session, and this one didn’t disappoint. Support act Ashleigh Mannix came onstage for a touching duet of ‘Walk and Don’t Look Back’, providing an understated but sweet vocal counterpoint to the main man. But the highlight for the crowd seemed to be the other ring-in performer – a beatboxing, Drew Carey-lookalike who joined in a lengthy version of ‘The Sound of Sunshine’. I love the charade – so much a part of Franti shows – that these people are just randoms in the crowd and, as a long-time fan, there’s a part of me that secretly hopes it could one day be me.
The Greyhound bus-inspired ‘I Got Love For You’ – an ode to Franti’s teenage son – got hands waving and provided a tender moment, as did a cover of the INXS anthem ‘Don’t Change’. Other miscellaneous highlights, in no particular order: the funfest ‘Everyone Deserves Music’; a thumping bass solo from Young; spontaneous fingernail filing from Franti (upping the quirk factor); a mellow reworking of Gershwin’s ‘Summertime’; and Franti’s tribute song to President Obama, which gave some idea of what it must have been like in the heady days of last year’s campaign. Topped off with an encore of ‘Say Hey I Love You’.
All in all, a super-fun, feel-good love-in, like all good Franti gigs are. And should Michael ever decide to put his bare feet up for a while, he’s got a thoroughly keen heir in the making.
