Tim McGraw, Kip Moore, Cassadee Pope Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 9th, 2014
Tim McGraw has swag.
As well he should. He's got a great country voice, he's handsome, he's built like a MMA fighter, he's married to one of the other biggest names in country music and he has a staggering amount of hit songs.
He's also insanely, mind-blowingly popular. Most shows, no matter how popular the artist, you hit that stretch were the crowd simmers down while they wait for the hits to return. Not so with Mr. McGraw. Saturday night fans flocked to the Pavilion to sing their asses off, and did so to every single one of his hits.
The crowd was so loud that there were times when the mostly open-air pavilion sounded like a crowded club show, the screaming almost painfully loud to experience.
Yeah, he's earned the right to have some swag.
The final stop of the Sundown Heaven Town tour was a laid-back affair. That's not to say that McGraw phoned in his performance, just that things felt a little looser and lighter. He was a little more reckless going up and down the stairs onstage, a little more likely to let the crowd do the singing on the big hooks. It was a good look for a show big on the party atmosphere. There may be a near 20-year gap between "I Like It, I Love It" and "Truck Yeah," but the spirit is the same.
That's not to say that it was all balls out, drinks to the sky. McGraw, like any good country artist, has his softer and more serious moments. He gave what was an incredibly sincere and heartfelt introduction to his backing band. He spoke a bit about the armed services and giving away a home to a wounded warrior. He even did a solid, solo acoustic cover of "You Are So Beautiful."
The show was big on crowd interaction, and the man spent so much time bent over shaking hands and bumping fists that you're likely to get sympathy pains in your back watching him. It's cool though to see an artist so popular paying so much personal attention to his fans, even if it's just the small portion surrounding the stage.
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