As many are staying home to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus, staying upbeat remains a daily challenge.
Thankfully, several people are now taking to social media to share their talents and lift spirits. For example, Big Bottom Market co-owner and cookbook author Michael Volpatt is offering virtual cooking classes every day at 3 p.m., and East Bay musician Michael Franti and his family are giving people near and far a reason to sing and dance.
Since the Franti family can’t entertain fans in person during the coronavirus pandemic, they have launched a Stay at Home World Tour with daily Facebook video performances. Their first performance was this Saturday, March 14.
“If you’re feeling low, now’s your chance to get up, dance and shake it off a little with the people you love,” said Franti in a Facebook post.
The Franti’s Stay At Home Concert World Tour Day 2
SOUND ON ? DAY 2 FRANTI’S STAY AT HOME CONCERT WORLD TOUR!!!: so here’s the second installment of our Stay At Home Concert World Tour – bringing the music to you wherever you’re hunkered down!!! Sara is an emergency room nurse and wanted to give y’all a little briefing on the importance of Social Distancing. Then we follow it up with a new song called “I’m On Your Side” that I wrote with the mighty Sean McConnell with the intention of creating an anthem for bringing people of all walks of life together during these turbulent times. Sing along and share it with your friends and keep an eye out for more Baby Taj finger snapping, the moment he decides to deliver mama her yoga pants and then discovers something very interesting about my old guitar in the middle of the song!!! Never a dull moment at our place!!! Great filming by @kirin_power !!!
Posted by Michael Franti and Spearhead on Monday, March 16, 2020
During their Stay at Home World Tour, Franti, his wife Sara and young son Taj, will treat Facebook fans to a different song every day. The mini-show typically lasts about 5 minutes. On day one of the virtual music tour, they performed the much-loved hit “Say Hey (I Love You)” and, on day two, a new song called “I’m On Your Side.”
Just five hours after posting the third Facebook video installment of the tour, it had more than 54,000 views. From Australia to Puerto Rico to Napa, comments and thanks were pouring in from around the world.
The Franti family has a long history of doing good throughout the Bay Area and beyond. Their “Do It For The Love” nonprofit organization makes “music wishes” come true by bringing people with life-threatening illnesses, children with severe challenges and wounded veterans to live concerts.
In November 2017, Michael Franti and Spearhead performed in a benefit concert organized by BottleRock Presents (the producer of the annual music festival in Napa) to support North Bay fire victims.
In addition to seeing the performances on Facebook, you can also watch on Instagram @michaelfranti.