Country icon Travis Tritt returned to Jackson, Michigan to perform to a max capacity crowd at the historic Michigan Theatre.

Country music legend Travis Tritt had not performed in Jackson for close to a decade before recently ending that long drought by playing to a sold out Michigan Theater crowd.

One could factually state the show was even beyond sold out as the venue added additional chairs to accommodate ticket demand. There was an announcement that Tritt would be performing to the largest capacity crowd in the 85-year history of the Michigan Theatre.

Tritt, who continues to tour on his latest release, 2016’s A Man and His Guitar (Live from The Franklin Theatre), took to the stage with only his acoustic guitar in tow and a lone stool serving as the show’s sole production value oriented accouterment.

The performance, like the record itself, proved to be primarily a greatest hits affair with a few choice cuts by some of Tritt’s personnel influences thrown into the mix for good measure.

Continuing a trend many artists across a multitude of genres are employing these days, Tritt’s current tour is acoustically driven and features the singer sharing a myriad of anecdotes about his personal life, his influences, and of course the songs themselves.

Known in and outside of the country music world for his dry humor and candor Tritt was firmly in his comedic element for most of the evening. Before launching into the first song of the night, Tritt joked that if the crowd was not happy with the evening’s performance that each of them could contact his friend and fellow country music hero Marty Stuart, as Stuart would be glad to issue refunds.

The country music crooner also threw in a politically charged barb mentioning that he had received an alert earlier in the week tied to the press falsely reporting a “fake news” account that his shows only last an hour and a half.

Addressing that point specifically Tritt commented, “I guarantee you this will last longer than 90 minutes,” which elicited roars of both laughter and cheers from Michigan Theater crowd.

Later on in the set, Tritt had most everyone in stitches again as he professed his love for the Webster’s Dictionary app and that he once had to use to look up the word “twerk.” Upon discovering the meaning of “twerking,” Tritt reached out to his 19-year old daughter immediately to inform her that he better never catch her engaging in the aforementioned act or she’d be in big trouble.

Tritt has long been known as one of the good guys of country music, and he’s a talent that has always gone out of his way to pay homage to the artists that have come before him. One such influence on Tritt, Merle Haggard, passed away in 2016. Vince Gill, a long-time friend of Tritt, penned a tribute to Haggard titled, “The Reason Why I Sing for You.”

Tritt went on to dedicate the song to Haggard as well as some of the other country music artists that have died in recent years, including George Jones, Johnny Cash, Tammy Wynette, and Conway Twitty.

Another one of Tritt’s heroes had been Waylon Jennings, who the singer cited, along with his father and Jonny Cash, as the three single most influential people in his life. Tritt went on to pay tribute to Jennings by performing a medley of the country music legend’s hits that included “Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way,” “Mommas Don’t Let Your Babbies Grow Up to Be Cowboys,” and “Good Ol’ Boys.”

The night’s performance featured more than a smattering of Tritt’s own hits and oddities. Stand out highlights include his debut single, “Country Club,” “Here’s A Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares),” and “It’s” All About The Money.”

Tritt continued to endear himself to the Jackson, Michigan faithful by sharing more personal tales over the course of the two-plus hour performance. One such story Tritt recounted was about how, even though they owned a television, his family would still gather around the radio on Saturday nights to listen in on WSM’s Grand Ole Opry broadcast.

The singer also spoke about how he, along with Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson and Clint Black, took the country music world and the planet by storm back in late 80s with the media even naming the foursome the “Class of ’89.”

Prior to concluding the show, Tritt again paid tribute to some of his personal musical inspirations and heroes, specifically the Beatles and Elvis Presley performing classics “Help Me” and “T-R-O-U-B-L-E” before ending the night with a track of his own that’s been a fan favorite for years now, “Modern Day Bonnie and Clyde.”

Count Tritt as one of the rare gems in the entertainment world. Not only is the man beyond musically talented, he has demonstrated an undying respect for those in the industry that not only have inspired him but paved the way for him and countless others to have music careers spanning decades themselves. Additionally, Tritt continues to show a genuine appreciation for his fan base where he not only easily connects with them musically but on interpersonal levels as well.

Beyond his brilliant performance on the night it’s beyond clear as to why millions of people across the entire planet have such an appreciation for Tritt. The man has a great sense of humor while also being tall, honest, patriotic, and musically gifted. Tritt seems to be the type of person most people hope they can grow up to be one day.

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Travis Tritt
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Michigan Theatre
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Travis Tritt setlist: It’s All About The Money, 2. Where Corn Don’t Grow, 3. The Pressure Is On, 4. I’m Gonna Be Somebody, 5. Lord Have Mercy On The Working Man, 6. The Reason I Sing For You, 7. Detroit City, 8. Country Club, 9. 500 Miles, 10. Here’s A Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares), 11. Drift Off To Dream, 12. Help Me Hold On, 13. Pickin’ At It, 14. The Whiskey Ain’t Workin’, 15. Anymore, 16. Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way/Mommas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys/Good Ol’ Boys (Waylon Jennings tribute), 17. Help Me, 18. It’s A Great Day To Be Alive, 19. T-R-O-U-B-L-E, 20. Modern Day Bonnie And Clyde

Event Date: 17-Feb-2017