Michael Franti and Spearhead at Northerly Island

The stage is out on Northerly Island, a peninsula surrounded by Lake Michigan and a large harbor filled with boats. The air is fresh and the moon is nearly full. The skyline reaches to the sky behind the stage. Soldier Field glows just off to the left.
Franti takes the stage and the audience feels the love right away. After a few songs, he plays Bob Marley’s “Could We Be Loved”, a shout out to the godfather of reggae. Later on he starts “Sound of Sunshine” with just an acoustic guitar. Then, the band jumps in and a multitude of colored balls fill the air. The crowd hits them around throughout the song and it feels like we are in the middle of a ball pit battle. The joy is felt all around during this song and the entire set.