Live Review: Tim McGraw in Phoenix
ByMay 15, 2003 10:00 PM
"This is your entertainment for the rest of the evening,” Tim McGraw told the crowd about he and his band. “If you’ve seen us before, you know we don’t bullshit too much.”
Before Tim McGraw hit the America West Arena stage in Phoenix on Monday (5/12), an emcee stood on stage and told the nearly sold-out crowd of upcoming concerts. He poked fun of “Ozzfest,” saying McGraw’s fans most certainly looking forward to seeing Ozzy Osbourne and Marilyn Manson. The crowd laughed; some booed.
So, it’s ironic that soon afterward, Osbourne’s “Over the Mountain” blared over the speakers--serving as McGraw’s introduction--and the crowd sang along.
Once McGraw arrived on stage with a flash of light, the music (starting with “Comfort Me,” the opening track of his latest album “Tim McGraw and the Dancehall Doctors) didn’t stop for two-and-a-half hours.
“You’re looking at it. This is your entertainment for the rest of the evening,” he told the crowd about he and his band. “If you’ve seen us before, you know we don’t bullshit too much.”
Dubbed “One Band Show,” the tour serves as a celebration of McGraw’s 15 years in music. He recently scored his 20th No. 1 single, “She’s My Kind Of Rain.” Since his first No. 1 hit--1994’s Don’t Take the Girl--McGraw has sold nearly 27 million albums and has also seen seven singles hit the top 10.
McGraw ripped through songs from his early catalogue ("Don’t Take the Girl") to the controversial “Red Rag Top,” which tackles the issue of abortion.
“When we were writing this one, we all looked at each other and said this is a song that needs to be heard, McGraw said of Red Rag Top, which some country radio stations have banned from their playlists. “A lot of people have a problem with it.”
McGraw sat on the edge of the stage, swinging his feet, as he sang “Grown Men Don’t Cry.” The song seems to carry new meaning for McGraw, whose father--former baseball star Tug McGraw--has been diagnosed with brain cancer. It was clear that the lyric referring to a father who had died, “So many things I wanna say to him/But I just placed a rose on his grave, and I talk to the wind” had a profound effect, as he looked down to sing it.
Midway through the show, he did a solo acoustic set at the end of a catwalk, debuting a new song that may be included on his next album. Playing guitar, he admitted, was tough.
“This makes me really nervous,” he said with a laugh. The Dancehall Doctors slowly returned to the stage during “Angry All the Time.”
McGraw peppered his set with covers of songs from the ‘70s and ‘80s, including Dr. Hook’s “Sharing the Night Together,” the Commodores’ “Easy,” and Laura Branigan’s “How am I Supposed to Live Without You.”
“You’re listening to the smooth sounds of the ‘70s,” he said at one point.
For the rambunctious “I Like It, I Love It,” McGraw brought out television star Rick Schroeder, who slapped hands with fans as the singer and his band grabbed beer from a refrigerator that popped out from under the stage.
During the first encore, video screens lowered to show home videos of McGraw, his wife Faith Hill and their daughters at home.
McGraw ended the concert the same way he kicked-off shows on his last tour--by popping out of an equipment crate to sing a cover of Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer” at the back of the arena, pounding on his chest as he sang “she married a music man.”
Not only was the show a celebration of his music, but McGraw honored his family as well.