Travis, in review

It was probably one of the most enjoyable shows I have been to in well, forever. Travis. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the band here is a bit of background on them.

They are from Scotland and are HUGE in the UK. If I had to classify them I would say that they are a Rock/Pop/ Alternative band. Their sometimes happy sometimes melancholy sometimes rockin' sound, paved the road for bands like Coldplay and Snow Patrol to take the stage. I discovered them in 2000 when I saw the video "Why Does it Always Rain on Me?" on MTV. I had been wanting to see them for years. They played the TLA on South St. in Philly.

Republic Tiger was the opening band. They were good but reminded me of an Eastern European Socialist Rock band. Their sound was similar to David Bowie but had a raw and angry edge. Not that they were singing about white power or anything but the tone of their songs kept me waiting for a giant Swastika to be lowered behind them as they sang. The lead has a very low voice but surprised everybody in the audience when he began singing the only song they covered all evening ; Heart of Glass by BLONDIE! It was fun but caught us all of guard. Despite the totalitarian sound the band had they are worth checking out. See if you agree with me.

TRAVIS was AWESOME! They didn't disappoint. They played a great mix of old and new. Audience interaction was their forte. They had us jumping (doing the pogo), swaying and singing almost the entire time. They got the entire room involved.

Fran (the lead singer) jumped off stage and came right to where I was standing! I reached out my hand hoping for a high-five and he held my hand! He also danced with another girl in the crowd. Their guitarist scaled a huge pile of amps they had planted on stage while playing his guitar behind his back. It was unreal! They were full of surprises.

This was a show that even someone who had never heard a Travis song would have enjoyed. The band has a love for the music and a gratitude for their fans that I have seen no other band demonstrate. They were clean, no crude jokes or swearing. They didn't get political. It was all about the music and having a good time. I really appreciated their focus. It was positive. If you ever have a chance to go see Travis, do it. It's the coolest good clean fun you will ever have!