Country star plays for packed house

A sellout crowd packed Lady Luck Arena Saturday evening for a chance to catch a glimpse of a Grand Ole Opry member rolling into Vicksburg like a modern day Bonnie and Clyde.

Grammy winner Travis Tritt packed out the 25,000-square- foot arena, sitting alone onstage and expertly playing some of his most popular tunes and classical guitar instrumentals.

The audience felt 10 feet tall and bulletproof as Tritt played his signature blend of country mixed with rock and blues, and they couldn’t help but take it easy as he strummed and crooned some of his slower ballads.

It wasn’t the love of a woman that drew Byram resident Colt Jenkins to Vicksburg to see Tritt perform, but a desire to reconnect with his roots.

“I grew up on guys like him (Travis Tritt),” Jenkins said. “For me, country music doesn’t get more authentic than that.”

Jenkins danced and swayed to the music when it moved him, and tapped his scuffed cowboy boots in time. That night, he was a member of a country club that didn’t involve golf or khaki pants, but pearl snaps and oversized belt buckles.

“You can’t help but sing along to this stuff,” he added.

The club had no t-r-o-u-b-l-e welcoming Tritt into Vicksburg, proving once again that Mississippi’s reputation for hospitality is deserved. You couldn’t have thrown a quarter into the crowd and found anybody who cared that Tritt hasn’t had a number one single in almost 15 years; he played like it was a great day to be alive.