The Time I was Hugged by a Star

The Time I was Hugged by a Star

This story starts on a warm summer night under the stars at Red Rocks. There are giant beach balls floating through the crowd and a positive energy that spreads through the fans like wildfire. With a sense of community and connection, Michael Franti and his band, Spearhead, seek to bring us together. Franti tells many stories of love, peace, hope, and happiness through the lyrics he sings and the music he plays. He brings children onto the stage to rock out to Caribbean style music and gives gun violence victims a chance to share their stories and spread awareness about peace. 

At a little over the half way point of the show, Michael decides to break the barrier between us and him. Franti jumps off the stage and crosses the steal guard rails to mesh into the crowd. He begins to hug people and high five them, while he sings. Reminding us to be kind, to not give up, and to seek to make the world a better place.  Weaving through the crowd, we watch him and I can feel the air shift with excitement as he gets closer to our end seats. As he gets close, he pauses at our row and quickly and meaningfully, he hugs my cousin and I. He is sweaty and the sound of his voice is deafening so close to my ear, but the moment leaves me smiling. While the hug only lasts seconds, it leaves me feeling alive and valued. Sometimes a concert is not so much about the music as it is the connection.  Connecting with each other, connecting with the artist on stage, connecting with the music. With one arm around my cousin and the other around the stranger beside me, we sing and sway to the music. We are hand in hand and heart in heart, connected and united by the music. I will share the screamed message from this show; stay human and be someone who seeks to make the world a better place.