(EBM) Michael Franti & Spearhead announce the first leg of their Togetherness Tour that will take them across the U.S., including stops at New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Tortuga Music Festival and a return to Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The tour will include special guests Stephen Marley and Trevor Hall, as well as Niko Moon, Bombargo and Ripe on select dates. Pre-sales will begin tomorrow, Feb. 7 at noon local time and general on sale will begin Friday, Feb. 9 at 10am local time at MichaelFranti.com. Additional dates to be announced soon.
Franti & Spearhead's latest album Big Big Love, dubbed by American Songwriter as "an energizing batch of songs that spotlight the common threads that connect us," features 17 tracks all cowritten by Franti, with the tour's name derived from the record's most important takeaway - TOGETHERNESS.
"Togetherness is the central theme in all the songs on our latest record Big Big Love," shares Franti. "How do we get that feeling of togetherness, that feeling of closeness, that we so often overlooked and took for granted, but now has become so important? Not only just in terms of how we interact with each other in our neighborhoods or our personal relationships, but on a worldwide scale. How do we bridge these gaps so that people can feel close to one another again?
"There are forces in the world that use our division to achieve their greedy goals, their political aims, or just to divide people because they want to try to take advantage of it," he elaborates. "I want to really use my music and my time in my life to bring closeness to people and help them feel like they're not alone in this world."
Impacting AAA radio on Feb. 20, "Hands Up To The Sky" quickly became a fan-favorite during live shows on last year's Big Big Love Tour, as the uplifting track permits listeners to make space in their minds and hearts by letting go of emotions and allow room for the joy that follows once on the other side.
"Writing 'Hands Up' was an important part of my healing journey and putting together the video was cathartic," reveals Franti. "I lost my father to COVID and after several months of grieving, I saw live music again for the first time - a Balinese band called The Munchies. At one point, I closed my eyes and put my hands up to the sky. My whole body started trembling, tears started coming down my cheeks, and I was laughing and crying and dancing and singing and shouting and just feeling everything over the previous few years rise up and out.
"I needed the music to help me open all the parts of my soul that were blocked due to just trying to figure out how to get through life each day. It was a reminder to me of how important music is, as it also brought that feeling of togetherness that I missed so much during the pandemic. That feeling of just being around other people watching a band play and experiencing that together."
Michael Franti & Spearhead's Togetherness Tour 2024
April 6 // Tortuga Music Festival // Ft. Lauderdale, FL
April 10 // Soul Kitchen Music Hall^ // Mobile, AL
April 12 // The Key West Amphitheater^ // Key West, FL
April 13 // Florida Groves Music Festival // Orlando, FL
April 28 // New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival // New Orleans, LA
May 17 // Pure Imagination // Prescott, AZ
May 24 // Los Colonias Park Amphitheater^ // Grand Junction, CO
May 25 // Hipico^ // Santa Fe, NM
May 26 // Durango Mesa Park^ // Durango, CO
May 29 // Belly Up^ // Aspen, CO
May 31 // Red Rocks Amphitheater$ // Morrison, CO
June 1 // Chautauqua Auditorium // Boulder, CO
June 3 // McGrath Amphitheatre*^ // Cedar Rapids, IA
June 5 // EPIC Event Center*^ // Green Bay, WI
June 6 // The Sylvee*^ // Madison, WI
June 7 // Hilde Performance Center*^ // Plymouth, MN
June 8 // KC Live!*^ // Kansas City, MO
June 11 // Steelhouse*^ // Omaha, NE
June 13 // Riverfront Live*^ // Cincinnati, OH
June 14 // Everwise Amphitheater at White River State Park*^ // Indianapolis, IN
June 15 // Ravinia Festival+^ // Highland Park, IL
June 16 // Evans Amphitheater*^ // Cleveland, OH
June 18 // Powder Ridge Mountain Park & Resort*^ // Middlefield, CT
June 19 // Summer Stage at Tree House Brew Co*^ // Deerfield, MA
June 20 // Hutton Brickyards Retreat & Event Center*^ // Kingston, NY
June 21 // Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course*^ // Grantville, PA
June 22 // Beak and Skiff Apple Orchards*^ // Lafayette, NY
June 23 // Maine Savings Amphitheater+^ // Bangor, ME
June 25 // Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom+^ // Hampton Beach, NH
June 26 // Freeman Arts Pavilion+^ // Selbyville, DE
June 28 // Salvage Station+^ // Asheville, NC
June 29 // Salvage Station#^ // Asheville, NC
June 30 // Roanoke Island Festival Park#^ // Manteo, NC
July 5 // Greenfield Lake Amphitheater^ // Wilmington, NC
July 6 // Greenfield Lake Amphitheater^ // Wilmington, NC
July 7 // Greenfield Lake Amphitheater^ // Wilmington, NC
July 9 // The Chicken Box // Nantucket, MA
July 10 // The Chicken Box // Nantucket, MA
Aug. 25 // Mountain Sol Festival // Santa Cruz, CA
More dates TBA
Support
Stephen Marley*
Trevor Hall+
Niko Moon#
Bombargo^
Ripe$
Evening with
Trio show
Michael Franti & Spearhead Announce First Leg Of Togetherness Tour
Michael Franti & Spearhead Deliver 'Big Big Love'
Michael Franti & Spearhead Find Healing With 'Hands Up To The Sky'
Michael Franti & Spearhead Announce New Album 'Big Big Love'
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