It seems that Travis has been declared the band "that paved the way for bands such as Coldplay, Keane and Snow Patrol." We are very thankful for this (as the three aforementioned bands are some of our favorites) but we are confused. Why is it that more people know those bands, but not the trailblazer, Travis?

Take the jump to see what we thought of the concert, with videos...

Here's the answer: We don't care! This means, we can enjoy Travis all to ourselves. It means, a small venue with their biggest fans. It means, we don't have to spend $60 dollars to watch a screen in some gigantic arena where the person above you spills beer down your back. (Oh yes, that has happened...) It also means that Travis can pull off stunts like singing completely 100% acoustic (which we'll explain later).

Each song was delivered with such enthusiasm that one would assume that this was the last stop on their final tour together. It was explosive. The band has obviously been playing together for many years (10+ years, actually)! It was effortless yet still energetic and fun. Half-way through the set, Fran Healy, the lead vocalist, got the crowd to scream Klaus (the pianist's name) while pointing at him during "Good Feeling." (It seems that Phillyist had the same experience!) All inhibition aside, the crowd started screaming Klaus' name at the top of their lungs while pointing at him in perfect unison. Did we have skills or what?

Through the effortless vocals, Healy, soared through several octaves of music throughout the night. Boy, were we surprised when he started talking between songs and his heavy-laden Scottish accent came over the loudspeaker. His charismatic charm and funny stories only helped the audience to be completely enamored with him.

For the encore, Healy came out and actually played a truly acoustic song - meaning that there was no mic nor guitar amplification. After quieting down the packed Fillmore house, Healy commented on the nice-smelling weed saying, "You can only smell that in San Francisco." He then described how this was one of the first songs he had ever written. We were amazed that he could actually quiet down the rowdy audience without a mic but he was then rudely interrupted by some crazy drunk in the back screaming a lot of "Eff yous" and the like. Healy ended the story and just played.

Completely stripped down, we finally got it: Travis' music isn't written for radio-play, TV shows or the next super-hero movie, it's written because the music is who they are. There is nothing pretentious about it. They don't need to be like Coldplay, Keane or Snow Patrol because they are Travis. That's all they need.

Photo taken by author

"Good Feeling" sung by Travis at the Fillmore

Acoustic Finale Song