Travis Tritt drops in at Speaking Rock

Country Music was never my thing, I’m a little more geared towards Rock and Metal, but when I heard, Travis Tritt was coming to Speaking Rock, it was a no brainer. I reached out and was approved within two hours and make no mistake, that never happens. We were definitely off to a good start. But before we get going, I’d like to say a little about this fantastic venue, Speaking Rock Entertainment Center. In my opinion, it is the premier place to take in a show here in El Paso. And did I mention, these are all free outdoor shows, yeah, free. Top Touring Nationals are always the norm here, acts such as Cypress Hill and Godsmack are all slated to perform this year and that list continues to grow. I want to thank the General Manager, Karl Maahs and the Head of Production, Matt Velasquez for all their efforts in bringing the consistency of blue-ribbon entertainment to our fair city, thanks again gentleman.

At 63 years old and straight-out Cobb County, Georgia, Travis Tritt shows no signs of ageing, I mean looking at old photos, he hasn’t changed a bit over the years, now that’s a blessing for sure. Travis has been extremely busy over the years, in the past 36, he has released 14 albums, 7 of those went Platinum and 5 number one singles to his credit. As in awards, he’s been nominated for everything, won 5 and 2 of those were Grammys. One would say that he’s mainstream country peppered with Southern Rock, truth be told, I liked it. He has an acting career as well which ran from 1990 to 2018. Movies such as My Cousin Vinny, The Cowboy Way and The Mule, which was shot right here in El Paso, were pretty standard for Travis years back.

Travis hit the stage at 9 sharp, another quality I love at Speaking Rock, always on time. He started his 18-song set list with Put Some Drive in Your Country and I’m Going to be Somebody sporting that Cherry Sunburst Gibson Les Paul, which absolutely one of my favorites, but the rest of the evening was on acoustic guitars. I got the feeling that I was witnessing an everyday country boy that became a country music superstar. I stated that his music was influenced by southern rock, well, you can absolutely hear some Skynyrd, some Allmans and definitely some Charlie Daniels in his music, I was pleasantly surprised. Most would think of a country music concert as a sea of cowboy hats, songs about cheating wives, tractors and their dogs. Not the case here last Friday night, Travis seemed genuine, thought-out the entire show, he told stories, wished Country music was a lot like it was years ago, the crowd erupted in cheer on that one, he laughed and joked with audience while playing hits such as Country Club, Here’s a Quarter (Call Someone who Cares) and T-R-O-U-B-L-E, yeah a crowd favorite. As the night came to a close, Travis said, Lord, this sure is fun for me! Make no mistake Travis, we had a blast with you. In closing, Travis Tritt is out on tour and most likely coming to a city near you, I recommend you partake as I did and you too will have one hell of an evening. Thank you so much and of course we’ll see you at the next rock show.

Story and Photography by Tim Schumann

Set List-

Put Some Drive in Your Country

I’m Gonna Be Somebody

The Whiskey Ain’t Working

Where Corn Don’t Grow

Smoke In the Bar

Uncloudy Day

Anymore

It’s All About the Money

Drift Off to Dream / Help Me Hold On

Country Club