Michael Franti and Spearhead at Bush Hall

By Elin Berta

Thursday July 7, 2011

On Sunday night, Bush Hall in Uxbridge Road was transformed into one big sweaty party as Michael Franti and Spearhead took the stage.

The venue was already awash in expectation and happiness, with people sitting on the red carpeted floor with drinks in their hands, chatting and laughing. The contrasts of the crystal crowns, the décor and people dancing to loud reggae music made the atmosphere somehow magical.

The hall instantly filled as Spearhead came to the stage, but you could only hear Michael Franti's voice telling people to put their hands in the air, which they of course did. One minute later, Franti came running onto the stage, barefoot with his arms in the air and his long dreadlocks dangling under a white hat. In seconds he had won over the crowd. And that pretty much set the standard for the rest of the evening.

By the fourth song, the charismatic singer was already out in the crowd, singing and dancing with his euphoric fans. Looking back at it, I would say Franti probably spent more time singing off the stage than on the stage. He not only went out in the crowd, he brought some of the crowd back on stage with him. At one point he handed over his guitar to an overjoyed teenage girl, as he himself walked off the stage just to reappear at the front of the venue.

The only time the audience really stopped their jumping and dancing was when Michael sat down playing the down-tempo hope song "Hey World", however it seemed everyone was singing their hearts out with him.

The mixed fusion of rap, reggae and rock and the pure energy from Franti and Spearhead resulted in a humidity making both men and women take their tops off. And the somehow magical atmosphere you could sense before the gig showed itself again, transforming the hall into a Caribbean beach party. The bare feet of the tall singer may have contributed to the feeling as well. It has now been 11 years since he, as an act of solidarity, decided to stop wearing shoes. I was amazed by this unusual way of taking a stand, and asked if he really never wore shoes even in big cities and he shook his head. “In airports I have to wear flip-flops...”

I started my evening at Bush Hall at the back, but found myself moving closer and closer to the stage during the gig. By the time Michael Franti came back on stage to perform his encore, I had ended up in front of the stage singing along to his cover of Bob Marley´s "Could You Be Loved".  At one moment a woman next to me grabbed my hand and asked me if I had ever seen Michael Franti live before. I shook my head and asked her if he’s always that full of energy. She answered me with a huge smile and sparkling eyes, nodding her head.

I had a little chat with Mr Franti himself after the gig, and fascinated as I was with his never ending energy throughout the almost two hour long gig, I asked him what he gets it from. He then just calmly replied “well, I do a lot of yoga”. So, maybe it's time to check this yoga thing out one of these days.