OhSara just sent us this review:Any way you slice it, Tim McGraw has a pretty good gig. He's rich. He's famous. He's good-looking. He's a country god. He's a movie star. He's married to Faith Hill. And he pretty much can do no wrong in the eyes of his followers.Good to hear it, OhSara. Thanks for the review.
Backed by his 10-piece band The Dancehall Doctors — which featured four guitarists, a dobro player and a fiddler along with a keyboard player and expanded rhythm section — McGraw casually breezed through a solid 110-minute set that had a predominantly female crowd hooked from first note to last.
Granted, part of that devotion is due to the fact that the hunky, goateed 42-year-old — who was sporting his trademark black cowboy hat, along with a tight burgundy pullover and even tighter jeans — looks like he just stepped off the cover of a Western-themed Harlequin romance. But McGraw also earns that love by giving his fans what they want: Hits and plenty of ’em, delivered with down-to-earth personality and decorated with just enough show-biz magic to justify the arena ticket price.
The bells and whistles came in the form of a gigantic stage backed by the usual giant video screens, topped by a massive lighting truss in the shape of a giant M (though it looked like a W from the audience's POV) and outfitted with a huge cross-shaped runway that jutted 20 rows out onto the floor and enclosed two standing-room corrals for lucky (and presumably well-heeled) fans right up front.
Of course, it isn't the size of the stage that matters; it's what you do with it. And old pro McGraw worked every inch of it like a man of the people, slowly sauntering up and down the lane, slapping hands, waving his arms for applause and communing with the faithful during every single song. Frequently, he would drop to his knees for emphasis during a particularly poignant passage. For one tune, he sat down at the end of the runway and held court, even using one fan's camera to snap their picture as he sang.
Let's be honest: McGraw isn't exactly breaking any new ground in country music. Nor is he trying to. He admitted to me that he loves midtempo grooves, and his show was chock full of them, from the twangy roots-rock of Down on the Farm to the country-rock of Southern Voice to the honky-tonk of Everybody Hates Me and I Like it, I Love It. Even his ballads — including his cover of Elton John's Tiny Dancer — are mostly pitched right down the middle. Nothing rocks too hard for the gals in their Daisy Dukes and cowgirl hats; nothing gets too sappy for the guys in the plaid shirts. The party songs aren't too wild; the romantic numbers aren't too overwrought. Nothing stands out from the crowd or interrupts the smooth, easygoing flow of the show.
Even the mandatory mid-set acoustic-guitar segment was kept to a couple of songs, and included both a snippet of Taylor Swift's tune Tim McGraw and a winking monologue about how Tim bought his first guitar in college because he thought it would help him get lucky — "It worked! So there's some advice for a young man: Buy a guitar!" (Of course, it probably helps if you look and sound like McGraw to begin with.)
But even if Timmy's music isn't necessarily the most original and dynamic around, and even if he isn't necessarily the hardest-working man in show biz, you have to give him credit for living up to the promise he made to me before the show: "We don't bullshit," he claimed. "We play music." And that's pretty much what they did. Plus, he earns bonus points for ending his show without an encore — after 24 songs, he left the stage while his band jammed until people got the hint and began filing out. Soon as they played their last note, the house lights went up and the show was over.
McGraw may love his job. But he also knows when to punch out for the day.
Love him, loved his show.
Wanna get backstage this season. Make your requests early and often. Not a member yet? Fix that here.
