Anyone who still thinks that country music doesn’t have a place in NYC just needed to walk down W 47th street on Wednesday, November 11th as hundreds of people were lined down the block for hours to get the best spot at Tim McGraw‘s Damn Country Music record release show at the Edison Ballroom, presented by Pandora.
Considering McGraw is known for filling up stadiums, the Edison Ballroom was definitely not the normal sized venue for him, giving those who made the cut to get into the first come, first serve show a truly amazing experience. Donned with his signature black cowboy hat and button down shirt, he kicked off the intimate show with “Truck Yeah” (co-written by the newly but overdue “Buy Me A Boat” fame Chris Janson, as well as Chris Lucas and Preston Brust of LoCash and Danny Myrick), with McGraw’s faithful shouting back the “Yeahs.” While shaking hands with the lucky fans up front and flashing that distinctive smile, he continued with his classics such as “Something Like That,” “Southern Girl,” “Just to See You Smile,” and “Real Good Man,” which made it seem like it was more of a release party for a greatest hits album – naturally the fans did not mind one bit.
In fact, McGraw didn’t start playing material from his new album until about halfway through the show. The recently released track “California,” which features Big and Rich on the album, already seems to be a fan favorite as they sang loudly along with the chorus. He also played the title-track “Damn Country Music,” a lonely song about leaving home and chasing a dream of making it as a musician that has the classic storytelling country feeling that McGraw’s vocals are perfect for. The only other song from the new album was “Here Tonight,” the duet McGraw sings with his daughter Gracie, whom did not make an appearance at the show. All three songs were well received by the fans, not that there was any doubt they would be.
For the final songs of his set, McGraw returned to his past catalog with an amazing version of “Shotgun Rider,” which he conducted the audience like a maestro during the “woohoo oh-ohs.” He then dug back further to the late 90’s with “Where the Green Grass Grows,” sending his longtime fans into pure bliss. 
When he announced that he had one last song to sing, McGraw commented about the importance of the song and he hoped it was the same for the audience. A bluesy electric guitar solo intro led into “Live Like You Were Dying,” which put any other singing by the crowd during the night to shame – the audience was so commanding that McGraw turned the mic over to them for the chorus.
With a 12-song set filled with mostly classics and some new material mixed in, McGraw gave his devoted fans a wonderful evening of music that they are sure to remember. Fans in attendance were also treated to hors d’oeuvres passed around throughout the evening as well as a McGraw swag bag that included a Damn Country Music t-shirt, a nice touch by Pandora.
Damn Country Music, McGraw’s 14th studio album, is now available at all major music retailers. Click here to check out photos from the release party.