LIMA — Country music fans both young and old descended on the Veterans Memorial Civic and Convention Center on a snowy Sunday night to witness a performance by country music veteran Travis Tritt.
The performance was a far cry from the over-the-top spectacle artists such as Lady Gaga and Miley Cyrus bring to their concerts. There was no band, there were no backup singers and dancers, there were no pyrotechnics. This show was just Tritt, an acoustic guitar and a stool. And that’s the way his fans like it.
“It’s just a man and his guitar — that’s all you need,” said Tammy Phillips, a Lima resident who said she has been a Travis Tritt fan since he first broke onto the music scene in 1989.
Phillips and her sister, Deb Twining, wore Travis Tritt shirts as they drank Bud Lights from their Travis Tritt koozies. The sisters said it was their first time seeing the singer after following his career for decades. “I got my tickets as soon as they came out,” Twining said. “There ain’t nobody like him. He’s my favorite male singer of all time.” Twining said the anticipation of waiting to see her favorite artist in person was almost unbearable. “She [Phillips] kept texting me, ‘only seven and-a-half hours left,” she said with a laugh.
Lima resident Tom Riepenhoff attended the show with his wife, Mary, who said they received tickets to the show as a gift from their daughters. Riepenhoff agreed with Phillips and Twining, saying Tritt was more authentic than a lot of artists in the music scene today. “I really like artists that write their own music like he does,” he said. “You listen to the words, you feel the music, and you know that’s really them. It’s who they are.”
Paul Linger, of Huntsville, also praised Tritt for his authenticity. “He’s a real country singer, that’s what I like about him,” Linger said.
Another Lima resident, Sarah Helton, said she was a fan of Tritt but had not seen him live until Sunday evening. She said she was intrigued by the fact he was doing an acoustic set. “I really like that he’s playing acoustic because it’s something different,” Helton said. “Not a lot of artists play acoustic shows like this.”
The 53-year-old Tritt has seven albums that are certified platinum and five No. 1 hits, including “Anymore” and “Help Me Hold On.” He is a two-time Grammy Award-winner and has won three Country Music Awards.
Original Article: LimaOhio.com