CROWD OF 3,859 ENCOUNTERS `REAL THING' IN RANDY TRAVIS

The appeal of country star Randy Travis stuck out all over the Show Me Center Sunday night. In the older women keeping time in their Randy Travis T-shirts, in the fathers at the front of the stage hoping the children on their shoulders would get to shake his hand. And in songs sung with a conviction that can't be faked.

The near capacity crowd of 3,859 (the floor was set up to hold 4,400) skipped the first presidential debate to greet their hero with a standing ovation. Travis, dressed in white jeans, a turquoise shirt and a fringed leather jacket, ran his baritone all over a 22-song set meant to make every one of them happy.

The songs ranged stylistically from Western swing to gospel to traditional country, but all came stamped with Travis' trademark genuineness.

How many singers could get away with ending the concert with "Dixie" and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" while standing in front of a huge American flag.

Just about one.

Travis espouses the kind of values that are political gold these days. He sings about loving his grandfather and growing up with Roy Rogers as his hero. And about staying together forever.

He's not above temptation "On the Other Hand" but takes the responsibilities of a wedding band seriously.

Sunday, he touched base with most of his 11 No. 1 songs while managing not to gloss over any of them. The aching sincerity of his love song to his grandfather, "He Walked on Water," was as good as the humor of his impersonated duet with George Jones "A Few Ole Country Boys."

In the later song, Travis shot his voice from the mock basso profundo of a Jones-ism to a keening final note that sounded as if he was holding it for posterity.

His performance contrasted with most of the slickly packaged tours coming out of Nashville these days.

Throw in a hoot of a rap by Travis' guitarist "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" set to "The Beverly Hillbillies Theme" and a funny and endearing story the singer told about one of his sideman's daughters, and we all might just have well been at the Travis family's backyard barbecue.

Steve Wariner warmed up the crowd for Travis with a set that showed off his superior guitar-picking skills and brought a host of women to the stage with flowers.

Despite early sound problems, Wariner guided his band through a fast-paced set that included especially good renditions of his hits "A Crash Course in the Blues" and "A Woman Loves."

With his matinee-idol looks and flashy guitar-playing, Wariner was a good complement to the boy-next-door Travis, who admitted that his record company has only allowed him to play guitar on one of his songs.

But, as someone once observed, there are 10,000 guitar pickers in Nashville. And there's only one Randy Travis.