At age 48, Tim McGraw has dominated the country charts for nearly half his life. But he knows that all stars, no matter how big, have an expiration date in a radio world that's constantly on the prowl for the next hot young gunslinger.
Performing Saturday night before a near-capacity crowd at Gexa Energy Pavilion, McGraw took the unusual step of practically begging Dallas radio stations to keep playing his records. Introducing his recent single "Shotgun Rider," he gave shout-outs to The Wolf (KPLX 99.5-FM) and New Country (KSCS 96.3-FM) and kept pointing to a group of VIPs -- presumably local radio staffers -- who watched the show from a special bandstand on the corner of the stage.
"We can love this music as much as we want, but if radio doesn't play it, you won't hear it," he said.
He didn't really need all the pandering. McGraw might not be the best singer or most innovative artist in country, but he still knows how to find super-catchy tunes that fit perfectly into the current radio landscape.
He took the stage at dusk after opening sets by Georgia's Billy Currington and South Texas native Chase Bryant, the 20-something singer-songwriter of "Take it On Back" fame. Rather than open with an old classic, McGraw kicked off the show with his recent hit "Truck Yeah," a silly but infectious slice of bro country with half-rapped vocals and an Aerosmith-style guitar lick.
McGraw might not be the best singer or most innovative artist in country, but he still knows how to find super-catchy tunes.
A few songs later, he whipped out 2013's "Southern Girl," another surefire radio hit featuring the sort of electronically-distorted vocals you'd expect to hear on a song by Kid Rock or Kanye West. Even when he wasn't trying to update his sound, McGraw still hit the bulls-eye with lots of razor-sharp hooks and choruses in songs like "Where the Green Grass Grow" and "Last Dollar (Fly Away)."
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Not everything in the set was golden, especially the forgettable pop-rockers "Unbroken," "Felt Good on My Lips" and the aforementioned "Shotgun Rider," which holds the odd distinction of being the second song McGraw has recorded with that same title (the other "Shotgun" was a more-memorable 2007 duet with his wife, Faith Hill.)
McGraw got expert backing from his eight-man band, especially keyboardist Billy Nobel, who lit up several tunes and jump-started "I Like It, I Love It" with a blast of raucous New Orleans boogie. McGraw's over-enunciated vocal style has always been an acquired taste, but his voice sounded strong for most of the show, except for a few rough patches during a by-the-book version of Elton John's "Tiny Dancer."
While he's never been the most dynamic showman around, he still had the ladies swooning. Sporting his usual Springsteen-issued uniform of skintight jeans and a sweaty T-shirt, McGraw showed off his gym-sculpted assets with a flourish: His bulging biceps had such a major role in the show they deserved their own dressing room.
He apologized for looking scruffier than usual and blamed his stubble on the fact that he's filming a movie on Monday -- the latest in a string of acting gigs, including a role in the current release Tomorrowland. While McGraw didn't come out and say it, he's got another career to fall back on if those radio programmers ever try to put him out to pasture.
Thor Christensen is a Dallas writer and critic. Email him at thorchris2@yahoo.com
