Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 8, 1992 TAG: 9202080352
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: MARK MORRISON STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
COUNTRY BAD BOY TRAVIS TRITT TOPS OFF HIGH-VELOCITY SHOW
Members only.Travis Tritt fans know what it means and came out in force Friday night at the Roanoke Civic Center to pack the club.
Membership is reserved for those who do their drinking from Dixie cups, drive old Ford pickup trucks, love country music, dance like certified fools and know how to raise hell.
For you non-members, you missed out.
Tritt didn't disappoint.
A wild man from way back, he played his whiskey-women-and-rambling reputation to full tilt. With his swagger, his in-your-face music and his bad-boy lyrics, he gave the audience of 7,767 a high-velocity performance that showed why he has taken over as king of the country rebels.
The song titles alone say it all: "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'," "Don't Give Your Heart to a Rambler," "Leave This Long-Haired Country Boy Alone," "I'm the Only Hell My Mama Raised," and "Here's a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)."
There wasn't a weak moment in the show, as Tritt offset the rowdy numbers above with half a dozen beautiful slower songs about love and heartache that could have tamed even the most riotous of roughnecks.
All image and homage, but with little originality, hillbilly rocker Marty Stuart was second on Friday's bill.
With a rhinestone coat that would make Porter Wagoner proud and sprayed hair to match Elvira, Stuart played 45 minutes of rockabilly pop that paid tribute to some of Nashville's best - Johnny Cash, Hank Williams and George Jones, particularly - but lacked the freshness of the masters or even a distinct vocal style, unlike Dwight Yoakam, another contemporary country artist mining the same veins.
His set was energetic and entertaining enough, featuring his hits "Hillbilly Rock," "Western Girls" and "Tempted," plus a pair of classics, Cash's "Blue Train" and Jones' "One Woman Man." It just didn't have any real spark.
In a double-breasted black suit, looking decidedly uncountry, Mark O'Connor opened the night with a half-hour of instrumental music that showcased the virtuoso skills on fiddle, guitar and mandolin that has won him accolades as one of the best players in Nashville.
Sounding decidedly uncountry as well - no doubt O'Connor has had years of formal violin training - the instrumentalist received a lukewarm reception. His many forays into classical and beyond that didn't seem much appreciated.
Too bad.
He's probably the best musician to come through Roanoke on the country circuit in eons and proved it nearly every time he moved his bow or touched a mandolin or guitar string. It was a taste of culture many in the Bubba set obviously aren't accustomed to.
Country or not, he was worth more of a listen. Not even a few licks of "Dixie" was enough to win them over. Guess he should have tried "Freebird."