FRAZERHARRISON/GETTY IMAGES
sees. “From theminuteyou stepout there
until theminuteyou leave, Iownthattime,”
he says. “That is the time that I know that
I am in complete control. Nomatterwhat
happens, I candrive this train. That is the
timethatI lovethemost.”
His passion for performing is obvious.
Just ask any one of hismillions of fans—
includingMcCreery.
“Tim is all kindsof energyout thereand
reallyputsall he’sgot intoa show,”he says.
“Ifyouhaven’tseenaTimMcGrawshow,you
needto— it’sreallysomethingspecial.”
Having taken commandof his lifeboth
personally andprofessionally,McGraw is
inaplacehecanbeproudof.Andnomatter
howmanymilestoneshe reaches, his fans
canrestassuredhe’llneverbesatisfiedwith
statusquo.
“I don’t know if I can thinkof it getting
anybetter, exceptme gettingbetter as an
artist,me trying toprove tomyself that I
cangetbetter,”hesays.“Ifeel likeIamonly
about 35percent there. I’ve got a lotmore
aheadofme.”
“Being out therewhen it’s hot and the
crowds are having a good time and it’s
packedall thewayup to the fence, the lawn
is coveredwithpeople— there is nothing
likethatenergy,”hesays.Andwhenheplays
audience favorites like “Where theGreen
GrassGrows,”“ILikeIt,ILoveIt”and“Live
LikeYouWereDying,” the feeling soars to
another level. “Every timewedo ‘LiveLike
YouWereDying,’ it refreshes itself tome,”
hesays. “Inevergetunsurprised, if that’sa
word, by theaudience’s reaction. It always
shocksme every time howmuchwe feed
eachotheronthatsong.”
Fortheeternalunderdogwhostartedo
unsureofhimselfand, twodecades intohis
record-breakingcareer,stillsaysthingslike,
“Idon’tthinkI’lleverfeel likeI’vetotallygot
it,”thestage iswherehefeelsmost inhisele-
ment.HemaybetheEverymanostage,but
onstage,hegetstoputhishumilityawayand
be thecool, confident Superman theworld
change the showaround,”he says.Healso
flies inandoutof citiesmore thesedays, in
aneorttobehomeasmuchashecan.
He’sbeen luckyenoughtocombinework
andhispersonal lifeattimes,ashedidwith
the “Soul2Soul” tour, a co-headlining ven-
turehelaunchedwithHillin2000thatwent
ontobecomethehighest-grossingandmost
successful in the country that year. They
returned in2006with “Soul2Soul II,” the
highest-grossingcountry-music tourof all
time,anddemandremainshigh forthepair
todoanothermulticitysequel.Becausefam-
ily life currentlyprohibits thecouple from
returning to theroadat thesame time,Hill
andMcGrawsetupshop inLasVegas inDe-
cember, performing a limited five-month
“Soul2Soul” run at the 1,815-seatVenetian
Theatre.
Nomatterwherehe’splaying— an inti-
mateVegasauditoriumora jam-packedam-
phitheater—there’s justsomethingabouta
liveshowthatMcGrawloves,somethingthat
fuelshimtokeepgoing.
BEVERLYKEEL
is a professor and the incoming chair
of Middle Tennessee State University’s Department of
Recording Industry. She profiled Taylor Swift in the
Dec. 1, 2010, issueof
AmericanWay
.
OPPOSITEPAGE:
McGrawperformedwithScotty
McCreeryduring the finaleof
American Idol
’s 10th
seasonandcontinues tomentor theup-and-coming
singer today.
ABOVE:
McGraw takes in the48th
Annual Academyof CountryMusicAwardswith
wifeFaithHill (left) and collaborator Taylor Swift.
At eachof the31 stopsonhis “TwoLanesof
Freedom” tour,McGraw, inpartnership
withChaseBankandOperationHomefront,
will awardahome toadeservingmilitary
veteranandhisor her family. Learnmoreat
AA.COM/AMERICANWAY
JUNE 01, 2013
57
