Tritt Blends Rebel Rock, Country in ‘No Hats’ Show

Tritt or treat.

Travis Tritt came to the Universal Amphitheatre on Halloween in the guise of Bob Seger. And Hank Williams Jr. And Lynyrd Skynyrd. And Marshall Tucker. And he also tried to wear the crown of a country king--his headlining set Saturday began with a video of George Jones singing “The Star Spangled Banner” and beaming down at Tritt as if bestowing a blessing from on high.

That’s a lot of musical fabric to wear, but--as the Jones tape indicated--Tritt appeared to have a lot of ego to cover. Still, he almost pulled off both his blend of rebel rock and country traditionalism and his mix of down-home humility and boastful self-inflation.

Best were a few songs of good-natured male-bonding horseplay with Marty Stuart, his partner on what they call the “No Hats Tour”--among them a version of Marshall Tucker’s “Can’t You See,” with Tucker’s Toy Caldwell sitting in. Too often, though, Tritt used rock, country and blues in a patchwork quilt rather than a new, integrated cloth.

The sheer enthusiasm of Stuart--a protege of Johnny Cash, the archetype of a rock ‘n’ roll attitude in the country world--made his own set seem a more natural blend. Both his voice and material are a bit thin and stiff to compete with the classic models, but his spirit is strong and seems genuine.