Britt Festival favorites Michael Franti and Spearhead are returning to the Jacksonville stage, with the band bringing its signature good vibes and genre-bending bops.

Currently in the middle of their “Togetherness Tour” across the United States, Canada, Europe and Australia, the band is set to head to the Britt Hill Tuesday, Aug. 13.

Tickets for the concert range from $47 to $69 and can be purchased at brittfest.org/performance/michael-franti-spearhead.

Franti and his bandmates have been a staple of the Britt Festival for over 20 years.

“I do remember the first (Britt concert) we did, we were the opening act for the Indigo Girls,” Franti said. “That was in late ‘90s, but I don’t know how many we’ve done at this point.” 

Part of the draw for Franti is the music community of Southern Oregon.

“The thing that keeps me coming back is the community; we have just grown to really make deep connections with the people here and become friends over the years,” he said. “The fact that in a small, little town in Southern Oregon, that so many people would come to see not only our music, but symphony acts, country acts, folk bands and any number of things on the lineup each year, speaks to the people who are open to different music experiences.”

Through the years, Franti has made a lot of memories at the Britt Pavilion, but one in particular stands out. During one concert, he commemorated a local firefighter who lost his life while trying to fight a wildfire in Southern Oregon, with concertgoers coming together to mourn and honor the lives and homes lost from the natural disaster.

“Just the applause and appreciation that went out and people with tears in their eyes with families who lost their homes, and people who knew this gentleman, that’s something I’ll never forget,” Franti said.

Franti has been playing and writing music since 1986 for projects including Beatnigs, Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy and current project Michael Franti & Spearhead.

Throughout his career, Franti has earned three Billboard No. 1 hits with “Say Hey (I Love You) in 2008, “The Sound of Sunshine” in 2010, and “I Got You” in 2020.

Outside of music, he is a political activist, poet and documentarian with many of his creative pursuits involving advocacy for peace and social justice.

The emphasis for Franti and his band’s “Togetherness Tour” has been on connecting people and communities through music, especially during a particularly polarizing time in American history.

“It’s been an amazing tour and we call it the ‘Togetherness Tour’ because when you look in media these days, it feels like there’s so much division in the world, and then when I’m out in the street I realize the majority of who we are as people is so similar; there’s very little that’s actually different,” Franti said. “I really believe in music to bring people together.”

The artist hopes his shows bring out the best in people to come together and join eachother in wholesome, musical fun.

“I think it’s just really important we have a moment that we feel that, especially when we’re behind phones most of time and see the world through that perspective,” he said.

While the polarization of the country, whether politically or in other facets of life, can be difficult, Franti believes in people and works to build bridges through music.

“There’s this cultural division and cult politics out there being used to separate us, and that’s why I feel music is so important, to move across those cultural barriers,” he said. “It’s a hard time and I’m one of people who’s out there advocating that we put aside mean-spiritedness and hatred and discuss policies and ideas, and often that’s a voice lost in wilderness.”

In the end, it’s cathartic for Franti to get behind the microphone, play his music and connect with audiences across the globe.

“I feel a sense of connection whenever I perform,” he said. “If I have written a song that’s important to me and share it and I see people walking in to the show with their shoulders down or whatever weight is in their lives, when the music comes on I want them to move and dance and laugh and stand a little bit taller. That gives me a sense of completion and purpose.”

Franti and his wife, Sara Agah Franti, also started luxury wellness resort, Soulshine Bali, in 2011.

For more information about Franti and his various projects, visit michaelfranti.com.

To purchase tickets and learn more about the annual Britt Festival, see brittfest.org or call 800-882-7488.