It was quite the treat to have one of those rare intimate evening gigs with a band that can do relaxing so well. Having sold out five New York nights of their semi-acoustic nationwide tour, Fran Healy and Andy Dunlop provided a picturebook (well, a crafty PowerPoint aide) to tell the stories that inspired Travis’ songwriting, and took the willing audience through a journey that began in the early ’90s until now. The evening chartered Healy from being an unassuming Glaswegian, retreating to rainy holiday towns in search for songwriting inspiration, fast-forwarding to now: the frontman of a renowned band that arguably put Scottish music on the map (Proclaimers who?). Even though it was meant to be a three-hour show, Healy and Dunlop had to downsize for 90 minutes because of the Pub’s full schedule.

Healy reflected on what made each song define itself, from finding the “one” on “Flowers In The Window,” to learning of his impending fatherhood with “My Eyes.” While certain tunes reflected Healy’s voyage through adulthood, beginners like “Writing to Reach You,” “Why Does It Always Rain On Me” and “20″ painted a more somber, late teens-early twenties art-school angst that seem to plague many a musician (especially the rain-soaked Glaswegian). “Driftwood” was surprisingly inspired from a line on Cheers, and on a less humorous note, “Closer” was an afterthought post drummer Neil Primrose’s life-threatening swimming accident, proving that Travis were more than just a band, but friends who share a deep bond that came before the music.

Healy’s condensed journey highlights:
20
All I Wanna Do Is Rock
Turn
Writing To Reach You
Why Does It Always Rain On Me
Slideshow
Flowers In The Window
Driftwood
Sing
Love Will Come Through (from the film ‘Moonlight Mile’)
Closer
My Eyes

–Andrea D’Alessandro

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