The Caverns announced today that acclaimed artist and humanitarian Michael Franti and “Say Hey (I Love You)” singer is bringing his 2020 Work Hard & Be Nice Tour underground for a special concert in a cave on Friday, June 26.
Michael Franti radiates positivity on stage and off; AXS notes, “Michael Franti & Spearhead are on a mission: to make the world a more positive place, one note at a time.” With that mission in mind, Franti takes to main stages in 90-cities with support acts Bombargo and Satsang, as well as joining Kenny Chesney, Florida Georgia Line and Old Dominion on Chesney’s Chillaxification Tour in 2020.
USA Today proclaims Franti is “an artist who’s clearly interested in making deep connections with listeners, speaking powerfully through his music and living by his mantra that ‘there is no one in the world that you wouldn’t love if you knew their story.’”
“I’m super excited about touring this year because now more than ever, we all need music that helps us get through challenging times and brings people together,” says Franti. “I love playing music, whether it’s in my living room, on a street corner or the amphitheaters and stadiums we’re going to be in this year. Regardless of the scale, music is the sound of feelings and the energy that we create with the audience, which makes us all believe that regardless of what we carried into the gig, we can walk out of the experience feeling ready to take on whatever the world has to throw at us next.”
Franti, a San Francisco native for the last 36 years, who is revered for his thoughtful lyrics and high-energy shows, says he is energized to hit the road with Bombargo, a Canadian rock band from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, known for their distinctive “vintage-pop” sound laced with soul and Satsang, a power trio offering a unique blend of soul, folk rock and hip hop. “Both of the bands we have opening for us this year share our musical mission of optimism, high energy and taking the time to connect with the fans wherever we are. I’m sure there’s going to be some great collaborations that happen between all of us!”
Of the tour’s moniker, Franti explains, “On last year’s tour, I made a tee shirt that said, ‘Work Hard & Be Nice To People.’ I feel in this world, we are constantly trying to divide the human family into groups that we can refer to as ‘other.’ It’s important to stand up for the values of embracing our differences, being our authentic selves and accepting others for being themselves as well. Sometimes that’s hard work. Somewhere along the way, our society seems to have forgotten that working hard and being kind to other people, regardless of what their story or beliefs are, is still important. Actually, it’s more important than ever."
Also joining Chesney on his 2020 Chillaxification Tour, Michael Franti & Spearhead will act as the exclusive opening act on Chesney’s amphitheater dates and will join Florida Georgia Line and Old Dominion for 23 stadium dates.
“Few artists provide the kind of energy, good vibes and awesome music that Michael and Spearhead do,” says the high energy songwriter from East Tennessee. “To be able to share his songs with No Shoes Nation makes me really happy, because I know they're going to love his show and his music as much as I do.”
Michael Franti & Spearhead’s latest album, Stay Human, Vol. II, debuted in January 2019. Relix opines Franti “writes songs with the aim of uplifting his audience.” A remix of Vol. II was released late last year and is available on iTunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Amazon Music and Pandora. It features four songs from the original album, including “This World Is So F*cked Up (But I Ain’t Ever Giving Up on It),” a surprisingly uplifting take on life today, where, Franti says, “there are more good things happening than bad things by a billion times over.”
