Travis classics rain on fans at milestone gig
Glasgow band Travis brought balloons, a Santa choir and ‘rain’ to the SSE Hydro on December 21 as the band celebrated their 20th anniversary.
Performing to an 8000-strong crowd, the band – Fran Healy, Dougie Payne, Andy Dunlop and Neil Primrose – did not disappoint revellers who were keen to relive the glory days of the late 90s. Huge hits such as Turn, Flowers in the Window and Driftwood were performed alongside tracks from the band’s latest album Everything at Once. The title track from that album opened the show and
was followed by hit Sing to which the crowd duly sang-a-long.
Frontman Fran Healy proved he is still as energetic a performer 20 years on as he leapt from drum kits, while guitarist Andy Dunlop played his guitar over his head.
So energetic was the group’s performance, they each frequently broke the strings on their guitars.
Halfway through the gig Fran introduced his own style of crowd surfing, asking a man in the crowd, Richard, to hold him on his shoulders as he sang Where You Stand.
As requested, Richard made his way through the crowd as Fran
interacted and took countless selfies with the adoring Glaswegians.
Other highlights of the night were Travis’ jaikey Santas – six Santas who suited up to give the rockers a helping hand at their last gig of the year.
The men, who had apparently auditioned earlier that day, brought a festive touch to the homecoming gig and provided backing vocals in a performance of Paralysed.
Anthem Turn later saw the crowd go wild, before the band returned for their encore.
For this they sang Flowers in the Window around the one microphone as Fran played the guitar and Neil the tambourine.
They moved on to a special cover of Del Amitri’s Nothing Ever Happens, a Christmas single released to raise funds for SBH Scotland, a charity that supports those who suffer from Spina Bifida Hydrocephalus.
Fran then talked the crowd through the dance moves for Magnificent Time from the Everything All At Once album, clearly delighted when the 8000 fans followed the routine.
Why Does it Always Rain on Me concluded the gig as rain – a cache of silver confetti – fell from the roof and on to the crowd.
A perfect end to a perfect concert.