Travis Tritt Leads a Country Music Smorgasbord

When Andy Warhol famously predicted that in the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes, he might not have guessed that the statement would apply to country music.

But that future seemed imminent at KZLA Country Bash 2001, a daylong festival Sunday at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater featuring nearly a dozen acts, most of which played Whitman Sampler-sized sets running barely longer than Warhol’s allotted time span.

The event, moved to Verizon this year after previous years at Universal Amphitheatre, is designed to give fans a smorgasbord of music. But given the decline in country’s popularity during the last six years and the lack of new powerhouse talent, it seems it takes a small army of stars nowadays to raise a village worth of fans.

Headliner Travis Tritt, the one act with more than a handful of hits under his belt, made a strong showing in his 90-minute-plus, show-closing performance, returning to the public arena after a two-year hiatus spent largely with his family. He’s still trading on his outlaw image and an outlaw sound lodged halfway between Waylon Jennings and Lynyrd Skynyrd, yet he’s also confident enough to stretch the emotional canvas with a little vulnerability.

Brad Paisley, playing acoustic guitar in the day’s only solo set, showcased his impressive one-two punch of catchy melodies and clever, tightly written lyrics.

Bilingual country singer Rick Trevino struck the boldest path by leaving home his routine country hits. Instead, he offered four explosive tunes in the Cuban campesino tradition from his recent Spanish-language album, “Mi Son.” Trevino and his band stood out not merely for the welcome musical variety, but also for an exuberance that would have been palpable in any surrounding.

Jamie O’Neal, Rascal Flatts, Lila McCann, Phil Vassar, Ty Herndon and Chely Wright delivered pop-flavored material generally longer on earnest enthusiasm than striking originality. Freshman-class acts Meredith Edwards, Brian McComas and singer-songwriter-to-watch Carolyn Dawn Johnson introduced themselves before the main-stage concert on a small second stage set up in the concourse.

KZLA-FM (93.9) said a portion of proceeds is going to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund.