Travis Tritt

American country music singer/songwriter Travis Tritt announced that he was cancelling upcoming shows at venues or with promoters requiring proof of vaccination, masks, or testing as a condition of entry.¹⁾ He explained he's “not against the vaccine,” but he is “against forcing people to take medicine that they may not need and may not want.” Tritt said the negative comments he received after performing shows with COVID-19 safety protocols on the Brooks & Dunn Reboot Tour convinced him to do things differently for his solo dates.²⁾ He also cited Eric Clapton's statements^{3) 4)} about the importance of preserving fundamental freedoms as inspiration for him to publicly agree and speak out.⁵⁾

Rolling Stone writer Joseph Hudak described Tritt's COVID policy as “dumb”, and thanked him for “accidentally saving [the] lives” of his fans who had purchased tickets. Hudak further claimed that the COVID-19 pandemic had “claimed 700,000 U.S. lives” and implied that mandated vaccinations, maskwearing and isolation policies “have been proven to save lives”.⁶⁾ Internet personality and host Steven Crowder defended Tritt, accusing Rolling Stone of misrepresenting Tritt's statements and position.⁷⁾