Fans lined up early for the sold out show at The Birchmere Monday night to catch country legend Travis Tritt bring his ‘A Man and His Guitar’ tour to Alexandria. The show was yet another sold out show of a tour that will wrap up on March 3rd in Nashville. Travis will then head out for a summer run with his full band that will kick off March 9th in St. Augustine, FL and run thru August 25th where it will end at Jam at The Ridge in Le Roy, NY.
With a career spanning close to 30 years, seven platinum albums, two Grammy Awards, and countless songs charting on the country music charts, there’s no surprise why fans continue to fill venues to capacity to see Travis. Many have seen Travis’ high energy shows over the years with his band but over the past couple of years Travis has performed more intimate acoustic shows, giving his fans an entirely new experience.
Monday night was no exception. With just a stool and a couple of guitars accompanying him Travis played for just over two hours to the 500 fans who had filled The Birchmere to capacity. As I’ve mentioned seeing Travis in such a small intimate setting is a rare treat, but it’s just not the acoustic versions of his songs, or the covers you may not get to hear elsewhere that captivates the audience, it’s the personal stories that Travis adds in between each of the song. Travis often joked that he wanted it to feel like a group of friends gathered in his living room and that’s exactly how it came across, as if you were sitting in Travis’ living room listening to him sing and play his guitar.
The night’s 22 song set included all of Travis’ hits, including “Help Me Hold On,” “Anymore,” “Country Club,” and “The Whiskey Ain’t Workin'”. Mixed into the night’s set were covers of Hank Williams’ “The Pressure Is On,” Jerry Reed’s “500 Miles,” Johnny Cash’s “I Walk The Line,” The Beatles’ “Help” and a special tribute to Waylon Jennings with a medley of “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way/Mama Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys / Good Ol’ Boys”. As the show ended with “T-R-O-U-B-L-E” and Travis exited the stage, fans immediately began chanting the singers name prompting Travis to return performing Bob Seger’s classic “Night Moves” as a final encore for the evening.
Travis Tritt will be back in the area this summer when he plays Fredericksburg’s Celebrate Virginia with his full band. Tickets for the show can be purchased HERE. Fans can purchase tickets to the remaining solo acoustic tour, as well as the spring/summer tour HERE.
Setlist:
It’s All About the Money
Where Corn Don’t Grow
The Pressure Is On (Hank Williams, Jr. cover)
I’m Gonna Be Somebody
Lord Have Mercy on the Working Man
Best of Intentions
Country Club
Country Ain’t Country
500 Miles (Jerry Reed cover)
Here’s a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)
Drift Off to Dream
Help Me Hold On
Pickin’ at It
The Whiskey Ain’t Workin’
Anymore
I Walk the Line (Johnny Cash cover)
Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way/Mama Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys / Good Ol’ Boys (Waylon Jennings covers)
Help (Beatles cover)
It’s A Great Day To Be Alive
Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde
T-R-O-U-B-L-E
Night Moves (Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band cover)
