Chattering fans drown out Randy Travis in Anaheim
Orange County Register Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:22 AM PDT
http://soundcheck.freedomblogging.com/2009/10/02/randy-travis-gets-drown...
Randy Travis gets drowned out by chatter at the Mouse House
· posted by
Kelli Skye Fadroski
October 2nd, 2009, 10:48 am ·
Randy Travis put on a heckuva show Thursday night at
House of Blues Anaheim.
Cryin’ shame you couldn’t hear much of it. Travis’ rich, unmistakable tenor was too often buried by his band or, worse, by extremely rude crowd chatter.
Not to fault his longtime players, most of whom have been with the country great for the better part of 20 years, but at times the sound was just too mighty for the 1,000-capacity club. It probably would have sounded amazing in a larger amphitheater.
For this intimate encounter, perhaps an acoustic set would have gone over a bit better.
Yet, with an audience that never seemed to know when to shut the hell up and enjoy the show, Travis very likely would have still been overshadowed. It’s insane that these “fans,” who filled about two-thirds of the venue’s open space, paid $50-plus
for a ticket and then spoiled the scene by opting to talk –- about business, what they did on Monday, how they’re going to get lucky tonight.
I heard it all and more. It was virtually inescapable throughout the performance.
Travis, now 50, is certainly deserving of their undivided attention. He still has
one of the most recognizable voices in country music, and his lengthy career (already past 25 years) has produced dozens of hits that have received numerous accolades, including two Grammys. And though he played Long Beach last summer in support of Around the Bend, his first mainstream country effort in almost a decade, this was the first time
in a number of years that Travis had played Orange County –- and rarely if ever has he headlined so small a venue here.
Still, Travis started off a little rocky with “Better Class of Losers,”
a staple co-written by fellow superstar Alan Jackson
–- the volume wasn’t quite right and the bass-heavy band immediately overwhelmed
his already deep vocals. As he fiddled with his in-ear monitors, it was obvious something was wrong. A few songs later, joking with the crowd, he pointed out that “we’re making adjustments up here as we go … it’s quite interesting to be honest with you.”
Seasoned performer that he is, Travis kept plugging away, belting out hit after hit: “Deeper Than the Holler,” “Look Heart, No Hands,” “Diggin’ Up Bones,” “On the Other Hand.”
He also transitioned smoothly (though some of the audience didn’t follow) into a couple of his gospel favorites, including a beautiful version of
“Peace in the Valley” and “Rise and Shine,”
the title track of his second of several collections of songs of faith, worship
and praise he has released this decade.
Other highlights, most of which went over well with the easily distracted crowd, included his newly recorded version of
Bob Dylan’s “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” and fail-safe favorites like
Roger Miller’s “King of the Road,” “I Told You So”
(recently covered by American Idol winner
Carrie Underwood) and “Forever and Ever, Amen.”
That last tune was named Song of the Year in 1987 by the Academy of Country Music, and it still holds up as one of the genre’s all-time classics, capped by Travis’ bellowing voice on the final, stretched-out “
Aaaaammmennnnn.”
To his credit, Travis interacted well with the crowd, despite how many people attempted to talk over him. He shared stories and jokes between songs, including one about his wife coming home with 12 dresses –- and when he asked her what she wanted with
12 dresses, she quickly replied, “12 pairs of shoes!” It was a lesson to all the men in the audience: women are quick with a comeback.
Unfortunately, chunks of his storytelling were hard to understand, given his muffled microphone, constant chatter and the fact that the guy just talks really fast. Halfway
into the show it was difficult to decipher if he was introducing his band or auctioning off cattle as he rattled off information about each player. One guy in the audience yelled out: “
What!?!” My thoughts exactly.
One thing this skinny country boy does right, however, is pay tribute to those who came before him. His encore kicked off with back-to-back-to-back standards, starting with
Merle Haggard’s “Someday We’ll Look Back,”
which contains lyrics fitting for these economic times: “Someday when our dream world finds us / And these hard times are gone / We’ll laugh and count our blessings / In a mansion all our own / If we both pull together, tomorrow’s sure to come /
Someday we’ll look back and say it was fun.”
He also paid homage to Hank Williams by reviving two of the master’s classics, “I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still In Love with You)”
and “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry.”
Without question, this crowd got its money’s worth. It’s just too bad that much of the audience turned what could have been an incredibly intimate experience with a quality entertainer into some loud roadhouse environment, with Travis and his players
reduced to a bar-band background noise. Had the blabbermouths piped down, we might have gotten an even better show out of the guy –- didn’t any of them realize that
he could probably hear so much chatter in such a small place.
I apologize, Mr. Travis, that Orange County was just so rude. Please, feel free to come on back and do your thing anytime.
Photos by Kelly A. Swift, for the Register.
Set list: Randy Travis at House of Blues Anaheim, Oct. 1, 2009
Main set:
Better Class of Losers / Look Heart, No Hands / Before You Kill Us All / The Hole / Whisper My Name / Diggin’ Up Bones / On the Other Hand / Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright” (Bob Dylan) / If I Didn’t Have You / Horse Called Music / King of the Road
(Roger Miller) / Peace in the Valley / Rise and Shine / Heroes and Friends / 1982
/ Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart / It’s Just a Matter of Time / Deeper Than the Holler
/ I Told You So / Three Wooden Crosses / Forever and Ever, Amen
Encore:
Someday We’ll Look Back (Merle Haggard) > I Can’t Help It (If I’m Still in Love with You) (Hank Williams) > I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry (Hank Williams) / Honky Tonk
Moon > Spirit