King-size concert nary misses a beat

BY GUY D’ASTOLFO

dastolfo@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

After a minutes-long crowd-teasing rock’n’roll intro (The Who’s “Eminence Front”), Tim McGraw pulled off the old misdirection play, appearing under a spotlight at the other end of the Covelli Centre rink. That kicked off Friday’s king-sized concert at Covelli that had nary a misstep.

With his trademark black hat and a purple T-shirt, McGraw stalked the catwalks that extended to the center face-off circle throughout his set, which touched the two-hour mark.

The 44-year-old McGraw slapped a lot of hands as he strutted by the fans lining his path. He paced the show with homey ballads and good-timey hits that paint endless-summer imagery, as in “[A Heart Don’t Forget] Something Like That.”

The Dancehall Doctors, McGraw’s crack eight-piece band, held down the stage while McGraw was everywhere else.

“It’s my first time in Youngstown, Ohio,” he said, raising a roar. “Y’all are kicking some a-- here tonight.”

After some slower numbers, the affable McGraw shifted gears and turned on the ladykiller charm at the midway point. He delivered “Right Back At Ya,” “Red Ragtop” and a nice rendition of Lionel Richie’s “Sail On” that brought back the make-out memories — for McGraw, that is.

The Louisiana native capped off the night with a string of hits and country stompers like “Real Good Man.”

In “Felt Good On My Lips,” he sang “I want to go crazy” and the boots-and-hats crowd suddenly wanted to ... shoot smartphone videos.

For an encore, McGraw closed with “Live Like You Were Dying,” “Indian Outlaw” and “I Like It, I Love It.”

Earlier in his set McGraw brought out his opening act, Academy of Country Music Rookies of the Year The Band Perry, for a duet with lead singer Kimberly Perry. The sibling act, one of the hottest in Nashville, provided ear (and eye) candy, bopping through “The Way You Lie” and other songs from the glossy-pop end of the country spectrum.