Michael Franti & Spearhead @ Artpark Lewiston, NY 6-21-23

One of the shows I was looking forward to most on this year’s Artpark schedule was Michael Franti & Spearhead. Not only was this show on summer solstice, it was perfect day of weather too. I believe this was the 1^st time the band has ever graced the stage in Lewiston, NY. They have played other various venues in the WNY are including Darien Lake, the Town Ballroom and the Borderland Festival (which they played in 2022). I first discovered the band back in 2010 as they opened up for Steve Winwood at CMAC in Canandaigua, NY. After seeing them again a few years later open up for Train at Darien Lake, they have become one of my favorite bands to see live. I love the way they blend reggae, rock, indie, rap, fusion and ska (just to name a few genres) together. Again, I was eager to see what the band will have to offer at this year’s show. Franti’s tour is called “Big Big Love” and hints of a new album with the same name could be dropped sometime this year.

Usually, headliners start at 8pm when playing the outdoor stage at Artpark but Michael Franti & Spearhead had a 7:15pm start. There was countdown clock on the video screen counting down the 3 minutes before the band were set to take the stage. When Franti & Spearhead took the stage, he was in his traditional fashion. That is he doesn’t wear any shows. I noticed his left foot bandaged up. This didn’t stop him from moving around or jumping up and down throughout the show. For the 2^nd song “Better,” he came out into the first section and performed on a small platform. There were 2 small platforms that he and his band used a few times throughout the show. Franti is the type of artist that wants to perform with his fans. He gets the audience involved and brings them up to dance and sing with them. This wasn’t once but on many occasions throughout the set. He brought a woman named Barb on stage to celebrate her 70^th birthday during “Life is Better With You.” His lyrics are funny and poignant at the same time. For “Stay Human,” there is a line that goes “all the freaky people make the beauty of the world.” A touching moment was when Franti was sharing a few stories; one of his dad and then his 4 year old son. His father died in 2021 from Covid. He only got to see his dad 10 times in life and didn’t meet him until the age of 22 (Franti was adopted). He then proceeded to share story about seeping time with his son and finding sticks to make imaginary creatures. When he spoke you could hear a pin drop. The respect and admiration for Franti when he spoke was endearing. He then finished by saying “we all need each other.” He then dedicated the song “Best at Loving You” to all the dads out there and Happy Father’s Day! He also performed some new tracks like “Big Big Love” and “Happy is the New Sexy.”

The 2 hour and 25-minute show had everything and then some. This included a great mixture of old and new songs from the bands catalog. It also included a lot of crowd interaction throughout the show. His songs have so many positive messages and spiritual meaning to them that you can’t help to walk away happier than when you walked in. I felt a full range of emotions during this show. The other artists at Artpark will have a lot to live up to for the remainder of the 2023 concert schedule

Setlist:

I’m Alive (Life Sounds Like)

Better

The Sound of Sunshine

Work Hard and Be Nice

Meet Me When the Sun

Stay Human

Yell Fire

My Favorite Wine is Tequila

Life is Better With You

Baby Let Your Soulshine

Sun and Moon