Travis Tritt: Vaccine mandates in concert venues are designed to 'divide people'

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Travis Tritt won't play in venues that enforce mandates

Country star talks to Tucker after fans reach out to him with concern

Country music superstar Travis Tritt told Fox News on Tuesday he will no longer tour in venues where there are vaccine mandates or elaborate testing regimen requirements, after several fans contacted him to say they were turned away without realistic recourse upon showing up at the box office unvaccinated or untested.

The "Here's a Quarter" singer said it is often not the states or municipalities making trouble for his fans, but the venues themselves – and that he is not making a point for or against vaccines but just questioning the science behind the varying mandates enforced by the amphitheaters.

"We have done about 75 shows so far this year, all over the country, and in spite of the fact that some people would try to label these as being 'super-spreaders,' the actual numbers don’t reflect that at all," Tritt told "Tucker Carlson Tonight."

"As a matter of fact, quite the opposite. In most of these areas, we have seen the COVID numbers actually drop dramatically over the last few weeks and months, and so it came as quite a shock to me and a lot of my fans when during the first week of October, a lot of these shows had restrictions placed on them, not by the state, not by the local city government, not by the local health department and municipalities, but by the actual promoters and venue owners."

Tritt told host Tucker Carlson he was upset by the fact his fans had waited more than a year to be able to take some time to enjoy a concert outside of the tribulations of daily life, and were unceremoniously prohibited from attending his shows.

Country artist Travis Tritt laughs during the Celebrity Closeup at the CMA fan festival in Nashville, Tennessee.   Country artist Travis Tritt laughs during the Celebrity Closeup at the Country Music Association Fan Fair in Nashville, Tennessee June 10, 2005. The four day fair is billed as "country music's biggest party" with various country artist performing, signing autographs and participating in various events. REUTERS/Tami Chappell

"These people have been shut out from getting a chance to go see concerts for over a year, and they are finally getting a chance to do that again, and now they are being turned away for some unexplained reason, so this is not about following the science or trying to look out for the safety of the people there. This is about something else. This is trying to divide people," Tritt said.

"This is trying to shame people. This is trying to basically discriminate against people that they don’t feel are clean enough to be part of enjoying a concert like that," the 58-year-old Georgia native said.

Tritt told Carlson he grew up in a working-class family and understands the effort it takes for fans to put aside time and resources for his shows – and that that idea spurred him to take a stand against the mandates.

"I felt like I had to stand up for freedom; freedom for all of those people to be able to go out and do what they enjoy doing and enjoy a concert without being harassed."