The Outlaws & Renegades Tour

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The Outlaws & Renegades Tour featuring Travis Tritt, The Charlie Daniel’s Band and Love and Theft

AVA Amphitheatre, Tucson, AZ, USA

by Mary Andrews

Tucson had a triple threat of country music at its best in spite of the 100-degree temperatures at the outdoor venue on a Sunday night. The packed house was ready to party and the entertainers were more willing to provide the right atmosphere.

The show opener was a duo called Love and Theft. The band is lead by Eric Gunderson and Stephen Barker Liles who alternated singing lead. They have been recording for RCA Records Nashville since 2011. They credit Bob Dylan’s album, Love and Theft for the duo’s name.

The entire band was in fabulous form during the set. The duo’s vocals were impeccable as they delivered the goods on hit songs “Whiskey on My Breathe” and “Need 2 Breathe.” They also covered Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’”. “The Love and Theft fans were disappointed to have a brief 30-minute set.

The Charlie Daniels Band (credit: Mary Andrews)

The Charlie Daniels Band set the stage on fire as they entered the spotlight. Daniels displayed his trademark virtuoso fiddling as he started to swing his bow around like a cheerleader swinging a baton. His guitar playing and razor-sharp vocals still astonish fans after all these years.

The band, which Daniels said was the best he’s ever had, includes the keyboardist Shannon Wickline; lead guitarist Bruce Brown; guitarist Chris Wormer (who played a double-neck guitar most of the time); drummer Ron Gannaway and bassist Charlie Hayward.

All of the members of the band were able to show their chops as they soloed in “Black Ice.” Southern rock easily turned into a jazzy vibe. The extended drum solo was especially awesome. Daniels had a chance to have a guitar duel with his special guest, a Chicago bluesman, during their performance of “Sweet Home Chicago.”

The set was a short, one hour, but they did get to include their signature song “The Devil Went Down to Georgia.” The openers, Love and Theft, were invited to perform on the song.

Daniels and his band performed with such energy and charisma; it was hard for fans to see them leave the stage.

The final act for the night was veteran country music star, Travis Tritt. His set was a combination of his hit songs stretching back to the 90s and some country cover songs that go back even further into the past. The crowd roared as Tritt danced his way to the microphone with his guitar in place. He had all the elements needed for an old country band. His opening songs included “Put Some Drive in Your Country” and Hank Williams’ “Move it on Over.”

Early in the set, Tritt asked the fans for another round of applause for his mentor and friend Charlie Daniels. He credits Charlie Daniels for taking him ‘under his wings’ when his career started. Charlie gave me some good advice and he is my good buddy.

“Most of the songs we are going to do for you are songs that have been around for a while. I hope that’s alright with you. ”We came out here to party with ya’ll.” That was the perfect intro for the drinking song, “Ten Feet Tall and Bulletproof”

Tritt introduced the acoustic part of the show with, I co-wrote “Anymore” for my second album that went to number one on the charts. In the video, I got to play the part of a disabled American Veteran. It was filmed in an actual veterans’ clinic in Murfreesboro, TN. Everybody in the video was actually veterans in that clinic.” Even though he never served in the military, the rapport that he gained with the veterans during the shoot motivated Tritt to call his senator and congressman to volunteer his services to servicemen and veterans. As a result, he was pleased to be able to serve as the celebrity chairman and spokesperson for the Disabled American Veterans (DAV) for four years in a row. After the four years was over, actor Gary Sinise, took over his position. Tritt also served in the same position for the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) after his stint with the DAV. Tritt added, “That six-year period was one of the greatest times of my life. These people are my heroes.” It was obvious as he spoke that he does not just give lip service for the military. He finished by giving a heartfelt “thank you for your service.” The crowd gave an emphatic chant of a repeated “U.S.A.” as a response.

Tritt continued the set with his statement, “My first love is country music, straight-ahead country music, You don’t hear much of that anymore. I love George Jones, Merle Haggard, Johnny Cash, Tammy Wynette, and Loretta Lynn. But I also love classic rock ‘n’ roll. That led into a raucous version of Bob Seeger’s “Night Moves.” The Amphitheatre was pounding. “It’s a Great Day to Be Alive” had the crowd participating in a gigantic sing-along.

It was indeed a great day to be alive and a great day to be at a concert with three very amazing shows in one night.

Check out the photos from this wonderful night.

Charlie Daniels Band Set List: