One of the biggest names in country music kicked off the 2022 season at the St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview.
Tim McGraw performed at St. Joe’s Amp in Syracuse to a good-sized crowd Thursday, delivering hits like “Truck Yeah,” “Real Good Man,” and “Indian Outlaw.” The 55-year-old singer even stayed true to his closing anthem, “Humble and Kind,” by modestly introducing himself early in the show.
“Hello, my name is Tim,” McGraw said.
Yeah, we know, Tim. (But in case anyone didn’t know, he’s the guy who’s won three Grammy Awards, 11 Country Music Association Awards and 14 ACM Awards, plus acted in movies like “The Blind Side,” “Four Christmases,” “Flicka” and “Friday Night Lights.” He’s also the son of MLB pitcher Tug McGraw, a two-time World Series winner, and is married to fellow country superstar Faith Hill.)
McGraw was unsurprisingly fantastic, cooly walking around on stage in a black cowboy hat while his T-shirt clung to his chiseled muscles for dear life. A Led Zeppelin song played as his backing band — minus a keyboard player due to Covid-19 — walked on stage, building into the electrifying opener “How Bad Do You Want It.”
Much of the show relied on mid-tempo songs and McGraw’s subdued delivery started to drag midway through the set, but he got an energy injection during a performance of “I Like It, I Love It.” Opening acts Brandon Davis, Alexandra Kay (best known for her viral cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”) and Russell Dickerson came out to help with vocals, and McGraw relaxed and let himself have a good time.
McGraw then belted “Live Like You Were Dying,” setting up a phenomenal encore. A video compilation of scenes from “1883,” the “Yellowstone” spinoff starring McGraw, Hill and Sam Elliott, drew loud cheers from the crowd; then everyone sang along at the top of their lungs to “The Cowboy in Me,” “Indian Outlaw” and “Humble and Kind.”
Davis, Kay and Dickerson all praised McGraw during their sets -- beyond the usual pandering to the crowd that opening acts typically have to do to warm up audiences. Dickerson, for example, said he grew up listening to McGraw and called touring with him a “dream come true.”
Dickerson’s set similarly featured a lot of ballads and mid-tempo hits like “Yours” and “Like I Used To,” but his new single “She Likes It” is fun and sexy. He also performed a medley of “MGNO” with Walk the Moon’s “Shut Up and Dance” and Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” briefly sparking a brief boot-stomping dance party.
The Amp has 19 more shows booked this year, the most since 2019, and McGraw set a high bar for the season. We like it, we love it, and we want some more of it.
Tim McGraw setlist
May 26, 2022 at St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview, Syracuse NY
How Bad Do You Want It
Something Like That
Down on the Farm
Just to See You Smile
Southern Girl
Don’t Take the Girl
7500 OBO
Memory Lane
Over and Over
Shotgun Rider
Where the Green Grass Grows
Better Than I Used to Be
One of Those Nights
Felt Good on My Lips
Real Good Man
Truck Yeah
I Like It, I Love It
Live Like You Were Dying
Encore:
The Cowboy in Me
Indian Outlaw
Humble and Kind
Russell Dickerson set list
May 26, 2022 at St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview, Syracuse NY
Home Sweet
Every Little Thing
She Likes It
Honey
Blame it on Being Young
Yours
MGNO / Shut Up and Dance / I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Medley)
It’s About Time
Like I Used To
Blue Tacoma
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