Travis

T in the Park 2000 review

(thanks to Ian Aitken for the photo)

It was clear from the start that this was to be the landmark performance at this years T. Travis have been regulars, even playing in the comedy tent one year, but this year they were headlining the Main Stage, which is no more than they deserve. That this was their home territory added to the occasion and all the ingredients were ready for a memorable evening.

The rain had missed its cue. Having tipped down towards the end of the Macy set it lightened up to fine drizzle for Travis. Anyway we were all used to it by then and everyone's mood seemed to be peaking at just the right point.

The largest crowd of the weekend gave Fran a huge roar when he arrived on stage, which was greeted with a 'we are not worthy' bow from the main man before getting straight into it with All I Want To Do Is Rock from the Good Feeling album. The largest crowd of the whole weekend were roaring their approval from the start, plenty of jumping and dancing and lots of singing along.

"Oh man, what a night" Fran declared, understandably emotional. After their staggeringly unforgiving workload over the past 15 months there can't have been a more tailor made occasion for the home faithful to demonstrate their pride in this hugely successful band.

Onwards then with some more old favourites, Good Feeling and U16 Girls before embarking on a rendition of the more anthemic songs from The Man Who; Writing To Reach You, Fran swapping to an acoustic guitar for As You Are, Driftwood, Why Does It Always Rain On Me, Turn. Travis were in fine form, playing and singing passionately their melodic tunes which at no point disappointed and were the perfect anecdote, not that we needed one, for being soaked. The songs were punctuated with Fran's philosophy lessons, the wind and sun story "you can't make someone do what they don't want to do", the crowd cheered but then he could have said anything this evening and we would have cheered.

"It's like playing in front of your family" he said. The crowd agreed. A memorable and fitting end to a Scottish weekend that the weather failed to dampen (err…not literally you understand).