Travis concert review

A lot of great things have come from the United Kingdom: Tea, crumpets, Simon Cowell, Imperialism.... Wait... Nothing good has come from Jolly Old England.

Ok, ok, I don't mean that. There are plenty of benefits the world has received from the United Kingdom. The music from that side of the river has been their best export. Come on, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, U2, etc. and now I introduce to you, Travis. They are from Scotland and are awesome. That's basically all you need to know. They are a band that Coldplay describes as the band that inspired them to make music. Though that might be a bad thing.

I saw them at The Depot in Salt Lake City. It's a smaller venue but a perfect setting for Travis.
The crowd was one of the best crowds I have been in. Everyone, due to the venue, was over 21. Thank goodness. There's nothing worse than standing around punk kids (or as I like to say "little bastards!) who are groping each other right in front of me. Everyone there was respectful to the personal space and not spilling beer on my jeans either, which is a plus for sure.

I missed the opening band but I'm alright with that. Who needs filler? Though one of my favorite things is when the opening band says "Thanks guys! This is our last song!" and then the crowd goes wild with applause. Nothing says "I love you" more than cheers for you to finally leave.

Fran Healy, the lead singer of Travis has an amazing voice. He sounded clear, near cd quality. The band played most of their great songs. They mixed "Side" with "Eyes Wide Open" and it turned out fantastic. They also played fan favorites "Sing" "Closer" and "Why does it always rain on me?"

Travis played a perfect mix of their hard-rockin songs with their mellow stuff. It never got boring. There were a few songs that I wish they played but you can't win 'em all. A great part was when Fran told the audience that he's sorry the fans had to see Travis because they couldn't get tickets for the Britney Spears concert happening just across the street. He then dedicated a song just for those fans. They played a cover of Hit Me Baby One More Time. I hate to say this, but it was a great cover. I even sang along for a while until I realized I knew the words to a Britney song. To protect any masculinity I cleared my throat and quickly shut up.

If Travis is coming to your town I highly recommend you go see them. Though I would first tell you to buy at least one of their albums. Start with either "The Invisible Band" or "The Man Who." You won't regret it. I feel like I'm their publicist with all my gushing. Also, I added a smile onto my face for a certain reader. I wouldn't want to convey sadness with a positive review.

I give Travis in concert my first 5 Brit Rock Star rating!