REVIEW: Tim McGraw Pawn Shop Guitar Tour ft. Lady A, the Chicks
My second ever review! Incredibly exciting for myself and all 4 people that will read this. I'm still adjusting how exactly I want to format all of my concert reviews going forward, but for now I think I want the structure to be:
Show Strengths (for the main act and opener, if applicable)
Show Weaknesses
Overall Show Review/Final Thoughts
Score Reveal
Tim McGraw played on July 30th at Fenway, and I had the privilege of attending with two great friends of mine (If you are reading this, Hi Paige and Andrew!). We had the privilege of catching the end of Lady A's set, the full Chicks set, and most of Tim McGraw's set (we ended up leaving about 2 songs early to beat foot traffic). Below are my thoughts on each portion of this massive summer tour.
I have also decided that I want a 5/5 review to be a COVETED score, and rarely give it out (maybe once a year, if a show warrants it). So, you will rarely see me hand out 5/5's, to make a 5/5 show that much more impactful (kind of like a Pitchfork 10.... Pitchfork clearly has had quite the influence on me!)
OPENING ACT REVIEW: Lady A still sounds fantastic
I have to admit that I don't think it's fair for me to fully review Lady A's setlist because I only caught the last 2 songs they played, but those 2 songs were beautifully done. I had the opportunity to hear Hilary Scott and Charles Kelley make the most of a bare-bones stage setup with their own spins on "American Honey" and their 2010 radio smash-hit "Need You Now".
For "Need You Now", Charles and Hilary started at the back of the stage (which was a traditional "T" setup), sang the first chorus, and then paused before getting to the second chorus. During that pause, both artists (along with Dave Haywood, who does background vocals and instrumentals for the group) slowly made their way to the tip of the "T" stage as the audience applause became increasingly louder. The lead singers began to sing the second chorus without any backing instruments, which I thought was a brilliant creative choice. Hilary and Charles sounded beautiful, not missing any notes or hitting any flats. Charles seemed to also sing at a slightly lower register, which I thought gave "Need You Now" a little more edge
Despite being inside a giant baseball stadium, the choice to start the second chorus without instruments made the song and performance feel more intimate and passionate. The instruments slowly built up as Hilary and Charles sang their way closer to the second part of the chorus, and when they finally reached the line "It's a quarter after 1, I'm all alone and I need you now", the backing sounds and instruments exploded, making for a strong payoff from a terrific buildup. It added an edge to the song that doesn't really exist on the public version, and made hearing the song live even more special. Having Charles, Hilary, and Dave also come to the end of the stage to sing the last part of that song was a great choice, getting them closer to the audience, making me feel even more connected to them. The three took their final bow and exited the stage upon finishing the song.
Typically, opening acts are not afforded much in terms of stage usage and equipment, but the way in which Lady A structured the 2 songs I was able to catch made me wish I had seen their full set. The trio made the most of a bare-bones stage setup, and made the live versions of their own songs slightly different from their recordings (which I always appreciate). As I stated before, I don't think it's fair for me to officially score their set since I only witnessed 2 of their songs, but if I ~could~, I think I would give them a 4/5.
OPENING ACT REVIEW: The Chicks Are Still Effortlessly Cool
The entire reason why I wanted to attend this Tim McGraw show in the first place was for the opportunity to finally see the Chicks live. My gay guy friend group frequently plays the Gaslighter music video during our Gay Guy Music Video Nights, and that song specifically made me fall in love with the group all over again.
The last album the Chicks released was in 2020, named Gaslighter. While I thought the album overall was strong (but not their strongest work), the lead single off of Gaslighter is my all-time favorite Chicks song. So, imagine my pure elation when the band sang Gaslighter during their 1 hour and 20 minute set (quite the generous timeslot for an opener!)
After a somewhat-generic opening montage on the Fenway screen with a little dramatic music to go with it, the trio emerged on stage adorned in all-white outfits, transitioning immediately into their first song of the night, March March. Here are my thoughts on their performance:
The Strengths
These women are SO. DAMN. COOL. Natalie Maines (lead singer) still sounds the same as she did in 1999; Martie Maguire can play the hell out of a fiddle, and Emily Strayer complements Natalie's voice in a way that elevates their entire act.
I thought the songs the group chose to play were overall strong choices. They transitioned smoothly through each song and were able to maintain a strong stage presence throughout their set. Not once did I find my mind or eyes wandering to anywhere else except the stage; I'm admittedly not a die-hard Chicks fan (I love their music, but I would be lying if I said I have listened to every single one of their songs), but these women knew how to commandeer both the stage and the crowd.
Fenway can be a notoriously difficult "venue" to attend for shows since any form of acoustics don't exist (sound can bounce around the stadium in a very odd manner, creating an echo that can make it hard to hear the artist on stage). Maybe I just got lucky with where I was sitting, but these women's mics were ON! I could hear their voices and melodies as clear as day, and the backtrack vocals did not ever override the actual singing the women were doing (which I have found to be an issue with some more recent shows I have attended).
The absolute best part of their show, though, were the songs they chose to cover: Daddy Lessons by Beyonce and Manchild by Sabrina Carpenter. Okay, I know that Daddy Lessons isn't technically a cover since they are featured on a rendition with the Queen herself, but that song sounded even better in a stadium setting than it does on a record. And, MANCHILD?! That came out of left field, but I am so glad the trio covered it. Natalie expertly crooned through each line of that song, getting the entire stadium to shout "Maybe it's.... STUPID!". The sole job of an opening act is to warm up a crowd before the main act, and the Chicks did EXACTLY that.
The weaknesses
I have three (nitpick-y) issues that I took with the show. The primary issue I had was not the setlist itself, but rather, the order in which the women chose to sing the songs on the setlist. They were constantly transitioning between bangers and ballads, which made it hard to deeply feel any sort of strong emotion for a long period of time. Concerts work best (in my opinion) when songs are grouped together based on their "vibe": fast-paced songs should be grouped together, and slower-paced songs or ballads should be sung together. It was quite a ride going from Landslide to White Trash Wedding to Manchild to Cowboy Take Me Away.
The second, smaller issue that I found was that the Chicks never once left center stage. Not a single time. Nope! They did not take advantage of the T-shaped stage like Lady A expertly did during their set, which I think slightly hindered the impact of their performance. Imagine how cool it would have been if the Chicks walked out to the edge of the stage catwalk while singing Goodbye Earl?! I would have lost my damn mind!
The third, and final (because it really is a nitpick) issue that I took with their performance is that the group never once strayed from the structure of their studio recordings. I always like when artists and bands put a new spin on their songs during a live show; it makes the performance feel more special. While it was incredible to see them cover Manchild, I do wish that they had also put more creative spins on their songs during the show (like how Lady A made their song "Need You Now" almost sound a little more like rock, made evident by the video I posted above).
Final Thoughts
The Chicks can still put on an incredible show almost 30 years later, and despite a few small issues I took to, I was absolutely enchanted by their entire performance. Getting an audience excited is easier than keeping them engaged, and these women knew how to keep the audience excited AND engaged.
MAIN ACT REVIEW: Was No One Going To Tell Me Tim McGraw is Really Hot?
59 years old and a pillar of the country stadium music scene can still get it!
As I mentioned before, the whole reason I wanted to attend this show was to see the Chicks, but since my ticket was only $30, I figured that I might as well stay for the main act and enjoy what Mr. McGraw had to offer. Prior to his show, I was only aware of Tim McGraw because of Taylor Swift's debut single "Tim McGraw" (which seems to be the case for most of my gay friends).
I'm thankful that my friends and I chose to stay, because as it turns out, Tim is incredibly fun to watch perform! It reminded me of being in high school and hearing about the shenanigans some of my friends from high school would get into at Country Concert Mega Ticket Summer events in North Carolina. The show turned out to be a bit of a nostalgia trip for me despite not knowing any of Mr. McGraw's work. I walked away from the show a fan of him (and a couple of new songs added to my music library as well!). While there were some portions of the show I found to be weak, I would likely see him again, as the concert almost felt like a social hour featuring a high-caliber performer.
Strengths
The biggest strength of the show was, by far, Tim's crowd work and engagement. In between each song or set of songs, Tim would go off on a brief tangent about the song he was about to perform (the history, context, and/or fun fact about the song). He kept the anecdotes light, sweet, and never rambled. I absolutely loved listening to him speak passionately about his almost-40 year career and the pride that oozed from him when speaking. He managed to make a stadium show feel both grand and intimate, which is an incredibly difficult feat to pull off.
I found the second half of the show to be much stronger than the first half (pretty much everything after Indian Outlaw, I was totally sucked in). The second half featured songs that were a little more upbeat and engaging, and also featured lighting and stage effects that were unique to the show and kept my attention on the stage (and seemed to actually match the vibe of the songs, which cannot be said for the first half. More on that in the next section).
Speaking of engaging stage presence, Tim brought out his youngest daughter, Audrey, to sing Stronger, which is her mother's (Faith Hill, of This Kiss fame) song. The moment they shared on stage was incredibly sweet. Even better, though, was Tim bringing out the Chicks to sing I Like It, I Love It, which was such a great performance that I added that song to my phone! It was energetic, upbeat, and you could tell everyone on stage was having the time of their lives. I find that, when it's clear an artist is having a good time performing, it's infectious, driving the crowd into an absolute frenzy. Bringing the Chicks on stage for that song was a brilliant choice; it reinvigorated the crowd to an immense degree, and allowed the show to start closing out on a screaming high note.
One more thing I want to mention that I thought was so cool - the tour lighting design! One specific image I can recall is the shadow of Tim that was projected onto the Green Monster (photo of which I have above). It was an incredible, emotional addition to the lighting spectacle, and made both the country superstar and the show itself seem even more grand in scale. I absolutely loved the light color choices for each of the songs, and despite my lack of enthusiasm for how he started the show (more on that in the next section), it was a great choice to have multiple sharp-lined spotlights on him while he was singing his acoustic set.
Weaknesses
Look, I had a great time, and hate to veer into any kind of "negative energy" territory, but this is a review site, right? So, I have to be a bit critical! And don't worry, dear reader, I have a few criticisms of Tim's show to share with all 3 of you reading this!
First off, the show started in a very strange fashion. Tim began his concert by exiting the Sox dugout, spotlight beaming on him as we walked through the crowd on the field. I really enjoy when artists do this, but he was surrounded on all sides by security, seemingly only making him visible by those of us who were in the stands. Additionally, he walked out to a very popular rap song (the name of said song I cannot remember for the life of me yet somehow knew the words. Brought me back to being 19 in a fraternity basement at UNC... and I don't say that as a good thing) which I thought didn't really fit with the vibe of the show. I believe rap and country have a lot more crossover than one may think, but walking out to a popular rap song made it seem like Tim was trying to "be like one of the cool kids" (a la Morgan Wallen, famous for starting his shows with admittedly high-energy walkouts (I still dislike the guy)). It was an odd choice, especially since he started his show with a 6-song acoustic medley...
Speaking of which, I found it to be a very odd choice to start a massive stadium show with SIX acoustic songs. It can be powerful to start a show with an acoustic song and then lead into an absolute banger, but starting a stadium show with SIX acoustic songs, I think, was a poor choice. Despite Tim's fantastic crowd work in between each song, starting off a show with six slow songs can make the show feel like a total drag. I felt my own energy and excitement starting to wane during this portion of the show, waiting for the true spectacle to start. Once your audience disengages, it can be really hard to get them engaged again. Tim, luckily, worked the crowd so well in between songs that I personally did not lose full focus. That's the only reason I wasn't completely bored by this section of the show.
There was also, seemingly, some sort of issue with Tim's mic. I could hear the Chicks clear as day, but many times, Tim sounded... muffled? It was almost like there was a blanket over his microphone and he was trying to sing through the blanket. I wasn't sure if that was just his voice or an actual issue with the microphone, but I found it to be quite distracting and frustrating. You'd think that sound technicians would be scrambling to fix this issue, but it persisted through much of the show. As the industry maxim (in film, but is definitely applicable here) goes: your audience will forgive bad lighting or video, but they will never forgive bad sound. Poor or distorted audio can lose an audience's attention and patience capacity QUICKLY. I found this odd muffling to be frustrating and distracting.
Not a real criticism, but I was admittedly disappointed that Faith Hill (his wife of nearly 30 years) didn't come out to sing This Kiss. It would have been cool if Tim and Audrey sang it! But I can imagine Mrs. Hill is probably sick and tired of singing that song, especially since she has 181 other songs out there in the ether.
Final thoughts
I understand the criticism behind the concept of "stadium country music". Country music has, historically, been a genre of music developed by poorer families and regions; stadium country capitalizes on the genre in a way that can be seen as over-commercialized, dishonest, and over-produced (I think that this opinion piece does a good job of summarizing the main criticisms). I have to admit, though, that I still had a total blast at the show. The songs Tim chose, for the most part, were great choices to sing in a venue as massive as Fenway Park (which has a concert capacity of around 38,000). The entire show itself (which started at 4pm, mind you, with 49 Winchester) felt more like an EVENT than a CONCERT, which I always enjoy for massive shows like these. Having stadium shows feel more like an event can make the show itself feel much more enjoyable, especially since you lose that sense of intimacy that inherently comes with playing in smaller venues. The entire evening felt like one big social outing; I got to catch up with my close friends, have a few too many drinks, and get a little silly. Lady A, The Chicks, and Tim McGraw put on the spectacle, and we just got to sit back, chat, and enjoy the parts of the show we wanted to enjoy.
I would absolutely see Lady A, The Chicks, and Tim McGraw again in concert if given the opportunity.
