ravis rocked my world, and I didn't even see it coming. I barely remembered getting tickets for the show. I was scheduled to attend their 14 July 2000 concert at the Showbox in Seattle, but somehow I wasn't really looking forward to it, even though ostensibly I had every reason to be. Considering that the relatively young band is at the top of its form, and the formidable extent of its popularity in Britain, I reckon we Americans were rather fortunate to have them play in such an intimate venue. As a matter of fact, Travis is my favourite band right now, and it's been quite awhile since I was this excited about pop music. I mean, to have a favourite band is a rather teenage concept. I feel like a fourteen year-old schoolgirl. Is it normal for guys in their twenties to have crushes? Anyway, while not always entirely melancholy, Travis songs tend to feel appropriate for cloudy days; they are respectful of your feelings and moods, whatever they may be. Their latest long-player, The Man Who (which I bought on import awhile ago) managed to become my favourite record of 1999. You can file it under good, old-fashioned, sensitive, but surprisingly unpretentious British pop. I played it over and over again. For months their faces have stared back at me from a poster of them hanging in my bedroom wall. Their concert would be my first show in months since I have been immersed in work lately. The show would also be the first with my current significant other, Dennis. However, the sense of anticipation simply wasn't there. I reckon that my lack of enthusiasm had something to do with the fact that I had a very stressful week at work, and it was the end of a long and difficult work day. Perhaps I was tired and did not have the right frame of mind. Anyway, all that changed when the opening chords of "All I Want to Do Is Rock" suddenly rattled my eardrums and struck my nerves. I just went ballistic, and the usually reserved and inhibited concertgoer was nowhere to be found that night. I forgot who I was. My arms were in the air, and my fists were pumping. For the next ninety minutes, I sang-along/ screamed my way through most of their set, which turned out to be the best I've attended in recent memory.

hey did everything right. Travis seemed uncannily compatible with my Weltanschauung. They truly love and appreciate well-crafted pop songs, and that was what the show was about. Knowing that I wanted instant gratification, Travis got the big, dumb rock of "All I Want to Is Rock" out of the way before diving into the more introspective, subtle, and moody songs of The Man Who. As expected, adorable Fran Healy and the boys were oozing with smiles and charm. Considering their thick Scottish accents and over-the-top amiability, you can't help but love these guys. They weren't full of themselves. In addition to his penchant for telling stories, Fran's got a gentle voice that can transform into an emotive growl. "He's quite a bean pole," observed Dennis, but I think Fran's kinda cute in every way. What's not to like? While regaling the audience how the city of Seattle reminded him of his favourite sitcom, Fran even sang the Frazier theme. When he threatened to wear a kilt in his upcoming shows, some saucy bloke in the audience shouted, "Show us your balls!" With an unforgettable look of utter bemusement, shock, and disbelief, Fran laughed, "What did you say??!!" Knowing that we love karaoke as well as showing off ourselves as being hardcore, Fran allowed the audience to sing an entire verse of "Why Does It Always Rain on Me?" The best pop songs are always about being able to just sing-along, and Travis songs always deliver in that department.

lthough it's hard to take your eyes off Fran, watching Andy, who was just about a metre in front of me and having quite a good time with his rock guitarist histrionics, even made me smile a bit. "I'm so happy 'cause you're so happy" indeed. "Strange how potent cheap music is," Noel Coward once quipped, and by mid set, I was thoroughly intoxicated. Perhaps more importantly that night, the band shared their affinity for an eclectic range of pop songs with the audience by launching into a few covers. Fran reminded the us to keep an open mind and expand our musical horizons. (They even expressed their enthusiastic support for Napster by dedicating an unreleased song, "Safe," to it. Yeah!) When they played a fragment of "Back in Black," with Fran doing an impeccable impersonation of Brian Johnson, I was so happy I wanted to cry in gratitude. In addition to doing a riveting version of the Band's "The Weight," Travis launched into a cover of Britney Spears's "Baby One More Time." Totally without a sense of irony, Fran sang it with sincerity and conviction. He sang it as if there's no tomorrow. This was very telling. Refreshingly, they do not seem to possess musical prejudice. They know a well-written song when they hear it, no matter where it comes from. That's why they have covered everyone from Lennon to Joni Mitchell to the Ronnettes. Fran once said of his infamous cover, "Everyone thinks it's a parody, but I think that's because everyone's too vain to say it's a good song because of what people would think about them if they said 'I like Britney Spears.' The very thought of it!" (Incidentally, in a recent Spin interview, Travis revealed how they are totally into TLC. "We do a good TLC," Fran said. "When we were on tour in Britain, we were all getting off on TLC 'cause we love them. They're amazing. We were all sitting in the room singing 'Unpretty.'") Right on, Fran!

or my record, here's the set list if I remembered correctly:

y the end of the night, I had lost my voice because I was screaming so loud. I didn't even care who I was, or the fact that I was in public, or the fact that I was probably off key. I sang at the top of my lungs because I couldn't help it. Thanks, Travis. I'll be alright for awhile.

18 July 2000