Randy Travis

St. Paul Pioneer Press
http://www.twincities.com/entertainment/ci_13250102
State Fair Grandstand review: Randy Travis as you remembered him
By Rob Hubbard
Special to the Pioneer Press
Updated: 09/01/2009 11:32:19 PM CDT
"Operator, please connect me to 1982."
So sang Randy Travis at the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand on Tuesday night. It's
the first line of one of his first hits, but his performance may have given many
the feeling that they'd been transported to a Grandstand show from much earlier than
1982. To a time before country music was spliced with pop and rock. This was a show
for country purists, proudly oblivious to fashion. If you find the Minnesota State
Fair comforting in its glacial pace of change, then this may have been this year's
ideal Grandstand show for you.
And, if you weren't there, you should know that there was plenty of room for you.
Despite Travis being one of the largest-selling country artists of the past quarter-century
— and warm-up act Joe Nichols having a host of recent hits of his own — only 4,118
showed up for what felt like an evening at the Grand Old Opry without walls and roof.
Pedal steel guitars sang out, bass lines ambled along amiably, and Travis proved
a charming companion, cracking wise and hitting notes low enough to loosen the floorboards.
If you remember Travis as an artist of the '80s, your memory hasn't failed you. His
rise to fame in the middle of that decade was hailed as a refreshingly retro move
for an industry that had seemingly lost contact with its roots. And listeners responded
by buying his records at a pace previously unseen for a country artist. After taking
refuge in gospel for most of this decade, Travis
released a secular album last year and it reached a higher spot on the pop charts
than any album in his career.
But he and his eight-piece backing band spent most of Tuesday evening reviving the
hits from his '80s heyday. He had 10 number-one singles on the country charts during
that decade, and eight of them found their way onto Tuesday's set list. Travis' relaxed
delivery made each song seem like an old friend, be he bouncing through "Deeper Than
the Holler" or swinging lazily on "Honky Tonk Moon" like a latter-day Bob Wills.
It was also a treat to hear an opening set by an even newer "new traditionalist"
like Joe Nichols. With a hot band, clever material, matinee-idol looks and an engaging
stage presence, Nichols seems like an ideal successor to Travis and Alan Jackson
as a torchbearer for an old-fashioned sound. He's already had a pair of number ones
on the country charts, and some new songs he introduced sound as if they could be
headed there, too.
Rob Hubbard can be reached at rhubbard@pioneerpress.com.