As Tim McGraw took the stage in a classic white shirt and black cowboy hat at the Iowa Speedway on Saturday, the opening notes of “Something Like That” blasted over the speakers as thousands of fans cheered in the crowd.
McGraw – known for hits like “Don’t Take the Girl,” “I Like It, I Love It” and “Live Like You Were Dying” – performed at 1 p.m. Saturday before the Hy-VeeDeals.com 250 Delivered By DoorDash, part of the Hy-Vee IndyCar Weekend in Newton.
He encouraged the crowd to sing “Down on the Farm” before introducing himself to the nearly 35,000 fans in attendance.
“By the way, my name is Tim,” McGraw said, before dedicating his next song, “Just to See You Smile,” to his wife, country music artist Faith Hill.
McGraw last played in Iowa with Hill at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines in 2018.
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Thousands of fans waved their hands back and forth in the air as McGraw opened into “Southern Girl.” When McGraw played his 2020 single “7500 OBO,” he sang, “So seventy-five hundred…” and held up the microphone to a crowd eager to let them finish: “OBO.”
McGraw picked up his guitar for “Real Good Man,” followed by an energizing performance of “Truck Yeah,” complete with fire projected on the screen behind him.
“Is everyone having fun yet?” McGraw joked with the crowd. “Have a few more beers.”
He finished his 40-minute set with “The Cowboy in Me,” followed by “Indian Outlaw.”
“Y’all take care of each other,” McGraw said as he left the stage.
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McGraw recently revealed he is working on a new album. His critically acclaimed 2021 album, “Here on Earth (Ultimate Edition)” includes songs such as “I Called Mama,” “Undivided,” featuring Tyler Hubbard, and “Keep Your Eyes On Me” with Hill.
McGraw received his 16th No. 1 debut on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart with “Here on Earth.” The hit song “7500 OBO” from the album “Here on Earth” reached the Top 5 on the Mediabase chart, which monitors radio airplay.
Grace Altenhofen is a news reporter for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached at galtenhofen@registermedia.com or on Twitter @gracealtenhofen.
