Tritt Tears Them Up on MWL Special

Travis Tritt brought his audience to its feet so often during his CMT Most Wanted Live special Sunday night (Sept. 29) that it sometimes looked like he was conducting an exercise class. The event was broadcast live from a studio at Nashville's Grand Ole Opry House and coincided with the release of Tritt's new album, Strong Enough.

The Georgia native sang 10 songs during the 90-minute program. He spent much of the remaining time talking to host Katie Cook about his personal and professional lives and responding to requests that were e-mailed, phoned in or made from the audience.

Late in the show, Charlie Daniels phoned Tritt from Seoul, South Korea, where is said he and his band had been performing for "one of the finest military troops in the world."

The evening had a distinct military accent, with several camouflaged-dressed soldiers from nearby Fort Campbell seated on one side of the room and uniformed policemen and firemen from Nashville sprinkled through other sections. Tritt and his six-piece band performed in the round.

A viewer e-mailed Tritt to thank him for his contribution ($25,000) to the Sipesville, Pa., volunteer fire department. That under-funded unit had helped evacuate nine miners who were trapped in a nearby coal mine this past July. "Personally, I don't think I could take one more piece of really bad news," said Tritt, alluding to his shock at the Sept. 11 disasters.