Michael Franti is bringing his comeback tour to California a year after misconduct allegations

Michael Franti is bringing his relentlessly upbeat music back to California, nearly a year after misconduct allegations brought his touring career to an abrupt halt.

The Oakland-born musician announced fall tour dates under the name Michael Franti Trio, including Northern California stops at Ace of Spades in Sacramento on Oct. 28 and the Rio Theatre in Santa Cruz on Oct. 29.

The Heartstrings & Dynamite Tour will also visit the House of Blues in Anaheim on Oct. 25, the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach on Oct. 26 and the Fremont Theater in San Luis Obispo on Oct. 27.

The modest venues and stripped-down format mark a different kind of return for a performer known for turning festival fields and amphitheaters into sprawling celebrations of communal optimism. Franti said the trio’s shows will bring his songs back to their “acoustic roots,” with stories about “the raw, the vulnerable and often the hilarious moments that inspired the music.”

“The Dynamite is the energy we create together,” he wrote in announcing the tour, promising familiar songs, new material and a night intended to leave audiences feeling “lighter” and more connected.

It is a message that could have appeared in almost any Franti tour announcement over the past two decades. The 60-year-old musician has built his public identity around compassion, social justice and the restorative power of music, first through the politically charged hip-hop of the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy and later through Spearhead’s sunny blend of reggae, funk, pop and soul.

Songs such as “Say Hey (I Love You)” and “The Sound of Sunshine” helped make the barefoot singer a reliable presence at major music events including BottleRock Napa Valley and Stern Grove Festival in San Francisco. His concerts frequently featured children onstage, audience singalongs and appeals for unity.

That reputation made the accusations that emerged in August 2025 especially damaging.

Singer-songwriter Victoria Canal said she had been groomed and abused by a “very powerful” older musician after entering a professional relationship with him when she was 19. Canal did not initially name Franti, but she had previously credited him with discovering her online and inviting her on tour.

Franti subsequently admitted to having an extramarital relationship with a younger artist who toured with him, but he denied it was abusive.

“The relationship was completely consensual, based on mutual feelings and attraction,” Franti said at the time.

He also acknowledged that his age and position as the tour’s headliner created a power imbalance.

“For those reasons alone, I never should have allowed the relationship to become romantic,” he said.

Other women later came forward, describing behavior by Franti that they characterized as manipulative, inappropriate or sexually charged.

In the wake of the accusations, Franti’s longtime management company parted ways with him, artists withdrew from his sold-out Soulshine at Sea cruise and the event’s promoter canceled the voyage.

Days later, Franti scrapped the remaining dates of his Welcome to the Family Tour, including an Aug. 26 concert at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga.

“Recent events online have left me disheartened and my spirit isn’t in the place it needs to be to get on stage and give you the joy and energy you deserve,” he wrote in announcing the cancellation.

The Do It for the Love foundation, which Franti founded with his wife, Sara Agah Franti, also postponed its annual Rocker’s Ball fundraiser in San Francisco. The nonprofit connects people facing life-threatening illnesses and other severe challenges with live concert experiences.

But Franti did not remain offstage for long.

He returned to touring this spring with Spearhead, opening a Togetherness Tour in El Paso, Texas in May before performing at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado. A review of the El Paso concert described a two-hour show filled with familiar Franti hallmarks: children onstage, dancing in the aisles and repeated messages of hope, belonging and resilience.

The performance also reportedly included “Reason to Breathe,” a new song Franti introduced by discussing a period when he had contemplated suicide. He urged the audience to offer others a reason to keep going.

Since the allegations, Franti’s public posts have largely returned to the subjects that defined his image before them: his wife and children, new music, social causes and encouragement for followers navigating difficult times.

His current tour announcement does not mention the controversy or the cancellations that preceded his return.

Responses on his social media pages have been dominated by fans welcoming him back and expressing excitement about the concerts, though those comments offer only a limited and self-selecting view of public sentiment.

The California shows will offer a clearer test of whether Franti can restore the unusually intimate bond he cultivated with his fans — and whether his familiar language of vulnerability, healing and connection lands differently after a year that challenged the values at the center of his public persona.