Fran Healy of Travis performing at Irving Plaza, 5/12/00 photo by Glenn Emerstone © 2000 NY Rock

Peach-fuzzed and gracious, Fran Healy commanded the front with all the warmth and charisma of your local neighborhood lager lout. Opening with "All I Wanna Do Is Rock" Travis cranked out an impressive set that was heavy on reverb and highlighted the band's melodic, singer-songwriter fare. Unlike the Gallagher brothers, who have been known to perform on these shores with all the enthusiasm and charisma of wax figurines, Travis punched life into their set. Taking the songs well beyond the nice, user-friendly versions found on their latest The Man Who, Travis added a dose of raunchy guitars, nail-pounding rhythms in an animated performance.

Clockwise from top left: Fran, Doug, Neil, and Andy

Guitarist Andy Dunlop was Healy's foil, performing like a Pete Townsend clone, squeezing feedback out of his amp and wind-milling his guitar like a toy, while bassist Dougie Payne and drummer Neil Primrose provided the solid backbeat to Healy's takes on relationships and spirituality.

The unreleased "Safe," with Healy on acoustic guitar, declared the positive and singular vibe that you "got to be just who you are." Introducing the next number as "a song about being vulnerable," the band rocked to "Writing to Reach You." And while "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?" was the melancholy sing along of the night, "Turn" was delivered like a rock-n-roll church hymn of redemption.

Showcasing their roots and paying homage to their American influences, Travis ended with Joni Mitchell's "The River" and the Band's "The Weight." Mixing in the dynamic power of Radiohead, the plaintive pleaful nature of Jeff Buckley, and the misty-eyed sadness of Nick Drake, Travis bridged the Atlantic with a performance that blossomed under the stage lights of Irving Plaza. Sidestepping the confines of Brit-pop and the conservative mix of The Man Who, the band electrified and let loose its melodramatic confessional and universal takes on life.