It was a sublime and a humane experience to see Michael Franti’s I Know I’m Not Alone documentary purveying the occupations in Iraq, Israel, and the Palestinian Territories, but as touching and affronting as his visual perspectives were, nothing had prepared me for the man himself. As a relative novice to his music (my friend Leslie introduced me to his soulful jammin’ by way of Chicago), I did not know what to expect, but I was quite taken up with the effusing warmth that enveloped my senses throughout the intimate setting in Theatre Outremont on Friday night.
Franti emerged on stage barefoot which was reminiscent of the Barefoot Contessa, the legendary Cesaria Evora. He has a serene and quirky presence that manages to transcend across the board. . . he is relatively soft spoken, somewhat self-deprecating and all too personal. We were mesmerized and eagerly listened to a master storyteller weave his eclectic and humbling tale. Eventually, he began his acoustic set and he rocked the house. In the end, his warm melodies and powerful lyrics enabled everyone in the audience to connect, but like he said at one point, he was preaching to the choir.
None of us learned anything particularly new that night nor were we born again social progressives. In fact, Franti’s contagious love for humanity replicated our quasi-jaded and semi-hopeful plans for our human race and it gave some of us the boost that we needed. Then, the splendid jamming began and everyone was on their feet, grooving away. As a final note, I will take away many keen and unique moments from last Friday, but above all, his uniqueness and wonderful ability to reach out and personally connect with each and every one of us without ceremony nor any pretensions. Like I whispered into his ear: “Thank you for your humanity, Michael” as he warmly hugged me once and again.
Posted by Saro 