The cathartic feeling of being moved by a message isn’t there to the extent it used to be, but who’s to say that a musician needs to focus all his energy on the ills of the world, especially after legitimately seeking out directly to the people who face the toughest challenges, such as those faced with hunger or living in war torn nations or.
It’s not that hard to grasp the concept that a little positivity goes further than observational criticism. In our interview with Michael a couple weeks back, he stressed this point that in being in Iraq: the people he hoped to reach most, those actually suffering, reiterated time and time again, that these messages of social criticism are all well and good, but how about something that makes us want to sing?
Well, that’s where it stands today. Hitting eight of the eleven new tracks of the Sound of Sunshine and dotting the set with a few old hits like Yell Fire, Say Hey, and Hey World, Franti and his ace backing band aimed to give New York City fans a one night reprieve from thinking about their hard days and upcoming stresses, and replace them with a joyful night of singing and dancing. Complete with lots of direct crowd interaction, Michael did just this at Terminal 5, trotting throughout the nooks and crannies and getting the crowd moving with his shout outs and anthemic ear candy.
Interestingly, the newer material provided the honest gems of the show. While the title track may seem at first listen like the catchiest thing this side of Chumbawamba, Shake It is actually the true hit, a dancehall reggae groove that gets everybody moving in the same way that Outkast’s Hey Ya instantly makes people boogie the instant it hits the airwaves. Besides the show-closing crowd pleaser, Say Hey, both of the new singles, Shake It and Sound of Sunshine, merited easily some of the biggest crowd responses. Only a few lunkers like Rude Boyz and Hello Bonjour off of Rebel Rockers sputtered in an otherwise spirited performance.
The pinnacle of the show came when Michael rubbed it in the face of anyone who complained that it’s too hard to get around Terminal 5, as he managed to cover virtually every square foot of real estate from the stage to the floor to the VIP balcony and all the way to the third level — all with his son Cappy in tow. You have to give it to Franti for making an effort to connect with his fans in a personal manner.
From a more critical side, one thing that struck me is once you’ve seen a Michael Franti & Spearhead show a few times, the set can essentially blur together due to the perpetual reliance on the overdone “How you feelin’” call-out to break up each song. The stage banter needs a refresher as it can sedate you into listening passively to the less rousing tunes.
In the opening slot, Bobby Long came out with a full band to road test the material from his forthcoming February 1, 2011 release of his first proper full-length album on ATO. The full band sound for Long is a bit of a departure from his singer-songwriting roots, but the Terminal 5 audience paid attention in force despite most folks being unfamiliar with the material. A stark contrast to the Spearhead sound, the Brit’s husky country blues vocals and earnest songwriting garnered him a solid reception for the set of tunes off the aptly-named album to be titled A Winter’s Tale, as the music comes across like a cup of hot cider on a bitter cold day.
Overall, the juxtaposition of Bobby Long and Michael Franti make a nice tour complement as the pair sound nothing alike, but they both sing their songs in a way that you believe them. Whether it’s about saving the world or simply warming up a room, the music struck a chord with New York City, as both acts played it from the heart.
One Response
Boycott Terminal 5.
Worst venue in NYC.