Artist Who Doesn't Matter Cancels Shows Over COVID Restrictions

Quick, everybody: name a Travis Tritt song

It's not even fair to ask you to name a Travis Tritt song. His last hit was about 19 or 20 years ago. He's trending now because he's saying he won't play venues with COVID-19 restrictions. What a hill of ignorance to stand on.

Every venue and every situation is different. I think I've said it before, but I'd feel more comfortable outside at a full Jones AT&T Stadium than inside a small, poorly ventilated club. You may have noticed at the 40th FMX Birthday Bash that they had small "sanitation stations" set up. That's a very small concession to make to try to keep people safe. Accommodations can be made if you're just not a jerk about it. We've had (and been to) shows with and without restrictions, and it's really no big deal. Just do what's right for you and move on.

Some of these smaller clubs have to have COVID-19 restrictions and quite often it has nothing to do with the venue. In Lubbock, the Fire Marshall's Office, which regulates "assemblies," makes these suggestions after inspecting venues. It's a pretty dang thankless job and they're doing the best they can with the information they have. They aren't looking to restrict your freedom; they're taking the steps they were taught to take to serve the public health.

I'm still ambivalent about Tritt's decision, because...who cares? The thing that bothers me is that he uses the word "discrimination" in describing unvaccinated people not being able to go to shows. That's a really strong word for something that can be changed in an instant. I believe "discrimination" should be saved for things like race, sex or sexual orientation, not because you're afraid of a shot.

I tried looking up a list of artists who have taken a similar stand to Tritt's and I came up with Eric Clapton and comedian Jim Breuer. There may be more, but let's just say if they were hoping for some kind of uprising over this, it's probably not going to happen. It's my guess that these folks weren't selling tickets, so they needed an excuse to cancel more than anything.

So bye, Felicia...I mean, Travis.