Arts & Entertainment
 

Spearhead steals show's spotlight

Barefoot musicians inspire dancing at Verizon, cover jazz, funk legends

by Moirra Higginbottom
The Daily Cougar

The best place to have a Texas-size beer for $6.50 on Wednesday night, was at the Verizon Wireless Theatre. Michael Franti and Spearhead and Ziggy Marley both performed in a show starting promptly at 8 p.m. 

One of the most interesting elements in any reggae event is the crowd. Wednesday's event was no different. From business professionals to high schoolers, college kids and hippies, the show brought out an eclectic bunch of people. The audience was very in tune with the music, gave great feedback and had tons of energy. There was a lot of dancing most of it no form or fashion. The members of the audience were also incredibly polite. There were no fights, no arguments, even the security and staff of the event let loose -- one even danced. There was a lot of beer drinking and plenty of happy people.

Verizon Wireless Theatre was a perfect choice for this event. The balconies with seats were closed to create a small and intimate feel. In the center there was just openness for dancing. 

The most impressive thing about the night was the performance by Michael Franti and Spearhead. In general, the set was happy, but all the music had depth and offered poetic and soulful lyrics. The music dealt with all aspects of human existence: life, death, love, happiness, sadness, depression, God, politics, war and peace. The music advocated peace and love, without being trite and contrived. All of the lyrics conveyed deep thought and insight. For example in one chorus Franti sings, "Every soul is a poem / written on the back of God's hand." He sings these lines over and over and then asks the audience to join. By the end of the song the whole crowd seemed uplifted. 

The band was amazing, and one of the other most notable performances of the evening come from the bass player Carl Young, who even sang a song. All of the band members work together extremely well. Franti gave each of them solos and chances to strut their stuff. 

Strangely, it wasn't surprising that the band members were all barefoot when they danced onstage. Unlike Ziggy Marley, Spearhead did covers of other bands by interweaving it into the their own music. They covered Miles Davis, George Clinton and others. They ended the set with an encouraging last song that let Franti show off his amazing vocal talent in the words, "It's never too late to pick up the phone / Never too late to come back home."

Marley's set had a completely different vibe; it was by far more somber and political. Marley, the son of reggae legend Bob Marley, did a lot that will keep him associated with his famous father's legacy and little to separate himself from his father. He covered two of his father's songs. The music was clean, and it was a very good set, but it just did not compare to what Franti managed to create with the audience. Whereas Franti and company had created a complete connection with the audience, Marley's set seemed cold, although musically brilliant.

Ziggy Marley, Michael Franti and Spearhead

Verizon Wireless Theater, 520 Texas Ave.

The Verdict: If you didn't get a chance to check these two magnificent bands out live, get their CDs. They're worth the money.

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