By Jim Stanford on January 13, 2008
“Revolution never come with a warning,” booms Michael Franti on the title track to his last album, Yell Fire!
In this instance, Franti is giving two months’ notice.
The dreadlocked rocker and his band, Spearhead, will make their highly anticipated return to Jackson Hole on Saturday, March 29, performing a free outdoor concert at Teton Village as part of the Jackson Hole Mountain Festival.
Long champions of progressive causes, Franti and Spearhead blend the radical with the soulful. Their concerts are joyous explosions in which Franti, the lead singer and guitarist, often dances in the crowd.
The group performed several times in Jackson in the late 1990s and early 2000s, most recently at Snow King in 2003. Promoters made several entreaties to bring them to both sides of the Tetons last summer, and the buzz has continued to grow.
Franti is a prominent peace activist who traveled to Iraq, Palestine and Israel in 2004 to observe the toll of war and probe the roots of the conflict. During his trip he composed the album Yell Fire! and made an acclaimed documentary, I Know I’m Not Alone, which leaves a surprisingly positive impression.
His music was part of the inspiration behind last summer’s Jackson Hole Peace Rally, in which 300-plus protesters marched to the gates outside Dick Cheney’s home.
Other concerts likely will be scheduled during the third annual Mountain Festival, which featured Blues Traveler in 2006 and The Wreckers last year.
The festival runs from March 24-31. Lift tickets at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort will be discounted to $55 for adults and $45 for young adults (ages 15-21). Those coming from out of town can take advantage of package deals on lodging and lift tickets.
Franti and Spearhead also are playing two nights in Salt Lake City next weekend in conjunction with the Outdoor Retailer trade show.
Posted under festivals, michael franti, music, reggae, rock, teton village
Dude, I may have to come for that.
I hear Cheney is going to be there.