Tim McGraw Concert Review
Aug 31, 2005 15:24:49 GMT -5
Post by jacksonfan on Aug 31, 2005 15:24:49 GMT -5
This reviewer gave the concert a 3-1/2 out of 5
Wed, August 31, 2005
Big draw McGrawTop male star in country gave female fans exactly what they wanted last night -- plenty of beef cake
By JANE STEVENSON
RAMA, Ont. -- "I may be a real bad boy, but baby, I'm a real good man," sang Tim McGraw last night at Casino Rama.
The occasion was McGraw's first of three sold-out shows at the venue with tickets collectively going in all of 12 minutes, setting a new record.
But the sentiment expressed in the song summed up McGraw's appeal. At least, for a lot of his screaming female fans, who stormed the front of the stage the moment the biggest male star in country music appeared in all his chiselled glory.
Backed by the eight-piece Dancehall Doctors, McGraw definitely possesses a bad boy charisma, with a wicked smile and decked out in a black leather cowboy hat, a snug-fitting gold shirt, tight, bejewelled jeans, and black boots.
And when got down on his knees, and held one female fan's hand and sang directly to her during the ballad, Watch The Wind Blow By, he must have made her night, week, year, life?
But McGraw still had the unfortunate timing -- at least for this reviewer -- to follow breakout country rebel Gretchen Wilson's astonishing performance at Casino Rama on Sunday night.
He's pretty and polished alright, but sometimes lacking substance irregardless of his tireless working of the crowd, whether he was hi-fiving them or actually signing autographs by the end.
This is a guy who can hitch up his pants, and women scream, or alternately throw stuffed animals or cowboy hats at him.
Needless to say, Wilson set the bar high, and more than not, McGraw reached it.
After a slow start, the 38-year-singer and his band found their groove by their fourth song, Where The Green Grass Grows, which featured some nice pedal steel and fiddle playing, not to mention a big crowd sing-along.
"You're looking good Canada!," said McGraw, performing on a simple, stripped-down stage dominated by a gleaming silver staircase. "You're sounding good too!"
Other highlights included such anthemic uptempo hits as Down On The Farm, Indian Outlaw, I Like It, I Love It, Something Like That and the ballads Red Ragtop, Don't Take The Girl, Live Like You Were Dying and Drugs Or Jesus.
McGraw thanked the audience for allowing himself and his band to making their living on the road "for the last 10-15 years.
"You guys keep showing up and buying our records and we'll be out for another 15 years, or as long as I can fit into these jeans," he added with a smile.
Certainly Wilson's "red neck" influence on country music over the last year was evident in one of two new songs that McGraw performed called Let's Get Drunk And Fight.
His playful side was also evident throughout the concert, like whenever he sucked on a lemon -- presumably for his voice -- and then threw it into the crowd. Or when he dragged his Curb Records head honcho on stage to sing some of Back When but then tossed him off when he didn't know the words.
"That's why he's in the office,"McGraw teased.
Copyright © 2005, Canoe Inc.
Wed, August 31, 2005
Big draw McGrawTop male star in country gave female fans exactly what they wanted last night -- plenty of beef cake
By JANE STEVENSON
RAMA, Ont. -- "I may be a real bad boy, but baby, I'm a real good man," sang Tim McGraw last night at Casino Rama.
The occasion was McGraw's first of three sold-out shows at the venue with tickets collectively going in all of 12 minutes, setting a new record.
But the sentiment expressed in the song summed up McGraw's appeal. At least, for a lot of his screaming female fans, who stormed the front of the stage the moment the biggest male star in country music appeared in all his chiselled glory.
Backed by the eight-piece Dancehall Doctors, McGraw definitely possesses a bad boy charisma, with a wicked smile and decked out in a black leather cowboy hat, a snug-fitting gold shirt, tight, bejewelled jeans, and black boots.
And when got down on his knees, and held one female fan's hand and sang directly to her during the ballad, Watch The Wind Blow By, he must have made her night, week, year, life?
But McGraw still had the unfortunate timing -- at least for this reviewer -- to follow breakout country rebel Gretchen Wilson's astonishing performance at Casino Rama on Sunday night.
He's pretty and polished alright, but sometimes lacking substance irregardless of his tireless working of the crowd, whether he was hi-fiving them or actually signing autographs by the end.
This is a guy who can hitch up his pants, and women scream, or alternately throw stuffed animals or cowboy hats at him.
Needless to say, Wilson set the bar high, and more than not, McGraw reached it.
After a slow start, the 38-year-singer and his band found their groove by their fourth song, Where The Green Grass Grows, which featured some nice pedal steel and fiddle playing, not to mention a big crowd sing-along.
"You're looking good Canada!," said McGraw, performing on a simple, stripped-down stage dominated by a gleaming silver staircase. "You're sounding good too!"
Other highlights included such anthemic uptempo hits as Down On The Farm, Indian Outlaw, I Like It, I Love It, Something Like That and the ballads Red Ragtop, Don't Take The Girl, Live Like You Were Dying and Drugs Or Jesus.
McGraw thanked the audience for allowing himself and his band to making their living on the road "for the last 10-15 years.
"You guys keep showing up and buying our records and we'll be out for another 15 years, or as long as I can fit into these jeans," he added with a smile.
Certainly Wilson's "red neck" influence on country music over the last year was evident in one of two new songs that McGraw performed called Let's Get Drunk And Fight.
His playful side was also evident throughout the concert, like whenever he sucked on a lemon -- presumably for his voice -- and then threw it into the crowd. Or when he dragged his Curb Records head honcho on stage to sing some of Back When but then tossed him off when he didn't know the words.
"That's why he's in the office,"McGraw teased.
Copyright © 2005, Canoe Inc.
I was wondering the same thing.