Are you into country music? Would you like to see a great show? The TWO LANES OF FREEDOM 2013 TOUR by Tim McGraw might be just what you are looking for.
I must admit I am not much into country music, but I am forever grateful to Tim McGraw for a free concert for the military community, he gave in Fort Carson, Colorado almost nine years ago during Operation Enduring Freedom. He was one of the highlights during a very difficult time for me and for the community in Fort Carson. During this deployment 54 soldiers from 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment (3rd ACR) died that year. It was very frightening.
Back to Tim McGraw who is a great friend of the military. Even last Saturday he mentioned Operation Homefront.
“Operation Homefront has awarded 26 newly renovated mortgage-free homes provided by Chase to deserving military families so far. This summer, McGraw, Chase and Operation Homefront will double that number by awarding a home at each of his 31 tour stops”
I am a lucky girl. My husband and I were able to attend for free this time around too, because my parents in law had to go out of town and gave us their tickets.
Tim McGraw show was a sharp contrast from his opening act Brantley Gilbert. Maybe Tim McGraw is just a more seasoned performer. In my humble opinion Brantley Gilbert tried way too hard (in a not so good way). His language was way off and he worked hard to appear as a Macho and overly cool which is a shame because Gilbert has a great sound, was on key and is an energetic performer. However I was a little sad and was reminded of the Christian rock band Kutless the entire time. Both bands are similar in their style of music and deliverance. I really missed Jon Micah Sumrall who seems to manage to balance heavy music with a good attitude, smile, nice language and encouragement. Maybe in a couple years Gilbert will get there, because his music itself is really good.
Tim McGraw was at ease and in total control of the stage and the audience. Nothing seemed artificial and out of place. He thanked each band member even the one who was sick and couldn’t attend. I loved the scenic videos on the back screen to his songs. They matched his songs so beautiful. It seems that Tim McGraw is not a friend of many words. He didn’t talk much but he sang one song after the other. Even during the encore he delivered several songs. He just wouldn’t quit singing, which is a good thing at a concert. I also really liked that he didn’t just sing songs from his new album like a lot of the artists do, when they go on tour. There were several songs I knew from years ago, when I gave this country music thing a try.
My favorite songs of the night were:” She is my kind of rain” and “Cowboy in Me”. Tim McGraw had a lot of crowd participation with “Live like You Were Dying”. I also enjoyed “Highway Don’t Care”. In the background video he featured Taylor Swift and Keith Urban and thanked them by name after their song for their participation.
A lot of other ladies I talked to mentioned Tim McGraw good looks in conversation after the concert. While the guy’s arms are pretty muscular I believe he could use a Hamburger or something. On top of it muscle shirts, skinny jeans, belt buckles and cowboy hats are just not my thing. To each their own!
Considering all of this I may have to agree that Tim McGraw looked pretty awesome in West Valley City, Utah.
