  A wildly popular Tim McGraw performs to an adoring audience at Toronto’s Molson Canadian Amphitheatre. (Dominic Chan, WENN) |
They liked it, they loved it and even Tim McGraw probably got more than he bargained for on a rather crazy Saturday night at Toronto’s Molson Canadian Amphitheatre.
And it’s a good thing it was the finale of his Southern Voice 2010 Tour, because the country singer might have some explaining to do to his better half in wife Faith Hill.
About halfway through McGraw’s nearly two-hour show before a raucous near-capacity crowd, the singer sat down at the lip of an extended T-shaped walkway for the number Down On The Farm. It was then that a bra came his way, leaving the performer rather speechless and laughing.
For the next several minutes, dozens of bras were flung onstage, with McGraw holding a handful as a member of his band the Dancehall Doctors snapped pictures. Most ended up on the neck of Bob Minner’s acoustic guitar for a little while before finally leaving the stage.
On the musical side, McGraw was in top form, delivering a concert that lived up to his “we don’t bulls---, we play music” philosophy with a stash of hits that puts him alongside Reba McEntire and Garth Brooks. Opening with the slow but steady Real Good Man, the singer often twirled, glad-handed, fist-bumped and signed autographs for fans when not nailing roots-y numbers like Let It Go and Just To See You Smile.
Wasting little time, the performer weaved his way through hit single after hit single, whether it was the slow ballad She’s My Kind Of Rain, the folksy Blank Sheet Of Paper, the pop-tinged Still or the old-school honky tonk of Back When and I Like It, I Love It.
But McGraw also took the time to toss out some new songs such as the up-tempo It Felt Good On My Lips with better than expected results. The tune also had him jumping around and pulling up his tight leather pants as his 10-piece band steamrolled through it.
Of all the songs on this night, none seemed to hit a nerve more than the poignant If You’re Reading This, a tune done acoustically with the Warren Brothers (Brett and Brad) which tells the story of a soldier fighting overseas writing back home. An image of a helmet and gun was displayed as the tender, tear-inducing song concluded.
Perhaps the only miscue was a rather Springsteen-like preacher moment prior to Things Change. Taking a page from The Boss, McGraw asked the crowd if they could feel the music in their soul before starting a song which didn’t quite match the fervor of his message.
But by the time Something Like That, Southern Voice, Sing Me Home and Live Like You Were Dying wrapped up, most weren’t too concerned with McGraw getting on his country pulpit.
McGraw even had a hand in support act Lady Antebellum’s set. Being the last night of the tour, McGraw and his band ran onstage shirtless and began pretending to work out which caught the trio of Hillary Scott, Dave Haywood and Charles Kelley completely by surprise. Fortunately the band was solid with songs like Lookin’ For A Good Time, Hello World, Need You Now and a cover of Tom Petty’s Free Fallin’.
Sun rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Saturday Night, Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
