Those expected an old-fashioned; country-music show when Tim McGraw played the Marcus Amphitheater Thursday night can't be faulted for feeling a little bit let down.
While the veteran artist belted out a number of his down-home hits, McGraw's headlining show at Summerfest felt much more like a rock concert than a country show.
Sure, McGraw -- winner of three Grammys, 11 Academy of Country Music, 10 CMA, nine American Music and three People's Choice Awards -- looked the part of a cowboy with his black boots, polished gold belt buckle and the trademark black leather cowboy hat, but his music, like so much of modern country, crossed into the grey area that blends the traditional twang of country with the splitting guitar riffs of electric rock.
If anybody minded, it would have been hard to tell. The nearly-full amphitheater was rocking from the first chords of the show and wasn't distracted by the annual July 3 fireworks, which were visible to those in the lawn seats or on the south side of the venue.
New sound or not, McGraw proved that simple can still go a long way as far as performing is concerned. He crooned into the microphone, jumped down to shake hands with the crowd and kept the dialogue and on-stage shenanigans to a minimum, keeping the focus on the music.
McGraw opened the show with "Still," a cut from his soon-to-be-released album, and scattered a few more in from "Let it Go," -- his most recent work -- for good measure, although none drew the response that his classics did.
He brought the crowd to life with old-fashioned classics like "I like it, I love it" and "Back When." "Where the Green Grass Grows," released 11 years ago, may have drawn the biggest response of the night ... at least until the encore, when McGraw led off with the heartfelt ballad, "If You're Reading This."
His back-up band, the Dancehall Doctors, is a talented, veteran and versatile group to be sure. But with an emphasis on the electric guitar, the traditional sounds of country seemed, at times, lost. A definite high point, though, was Dean Brown's fiddle, which brought an excellent sound to the show.
Another bonus was the video production. While those in the bleachers and on the lawn benefited from the suspended video boards, the show also used a multi-paneled video system behind the stage itself that would move throughout the show, providing a number of unique views as well as some great backdrops for sounds like "Southern Voices," which featured images of famous Southerners.
Opening act Jason Aldean was solid in his short, yet quick-paced set. He, too, is part of the new era of rock-country, evidenced in his hit "Johnny Cash." Showing his rocker-side, Aldean threw in a cover of "I won't Back Down" by Tom Petty, who is playing on the same stage Saturday night.
