Randy Travis, over the course of a two hour performance and encore, simply gave. With a natural charm and charisma, combined with an obvious ease and comfort in front of his fans here at Penticton's SOEC, he lent his distinctive voice to not only his own hits and lesser known tunes, but also to other great writers' songs as well.
It was so very refreshing to see a singer/songwriter mostly just singing his songs. Secure in the knowledge that his big hits, like "Pickin' Up Bones", "Forever and Ever, Amen", and "I Told You So" easily stand on their merits as songs, Travis felt no need to over embellish them in any manner at all. Instead, he simply sang them, or sang them simply.
This is not to take anything away from his band, many members of which have been with him for more than 20 years, but is rather a testimony to the ability of good songs to communicate their messages directly to listeners without the "need" for anything external. That his band (drums, bass, 2 acoustic guitars, electric guitar, pedal steel, violin and keys) was able to support them without ever drawing attention away from the songs, showed the maturity and mastery of its members. (While solos were extremely few and far between during the main performance, they were abundant during the encore.)
At one point during the middle of the show, Travis stripped it right down to just voice, guitar and a song. It doesn't get much more country than that. In a genre where the song is still king, he wears his crown honestly and with humility.
Travis creates a most interesting illusion. One in which the separation or distinction between audience and performer, between stage and venue, between being an event and just being, almost disappears completely. In their places instead is a shared moment of indeterminate length that feels like it could just as easily happened in your home or out on the back porch. It really couldn't have, but it sure feels like..... No, it's an illusion.
This concert was not purely traditional, but shared many of its values. It was a wonderful night of great songs from a singer with a unique voice and style, going longer and in a simpler spirit of giving than you often experience.
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