Tim McGraw and a “Standing Room Only” United Center “Live Like You Were Dying”

Photos by Andy Argyrakis

For as legendary as Tim McGraw may have become since getting started during the crossover country boom of the 1990s, he’s as relevant and red hot as ever following the release of “Standing Room Only.”

And that’s precisely the status he reached when the tour of the same name touched down at the United Center, where for 100 minutes, the man who sold more than 80 million records and longtime band the Dancehall Doctors, crammed in as many mega-hits as they could.

It was enough to make the Midwest crowd shout “Truck Yeah” with their version of a “Southern Voice” as McGraw and company completely took ownership of the arena thanks to their collective charisma, in addition to a giant video wall, ensuring the furthest cranny of the third level had a chance “Just To See You Smile.”

The headliner turned in a true-to-form take on Elton John’s “Tiny Dancer,” combined the originals “Over And Over/Shotgun Rider” and especially kept the sing-a-longs coming throughout “Something Like That” and “Where The Green Grass Grows.”

Other than the attention-grabbing title track, McGraw spent the entire evening on prior material, including “Red Ragtop,” “Highway Don’t Care,” accompanied by a virtual version of duet partner Taylor Swift, and of course “I Like It, I Love It.”

He was also always a “Real Good Man” along the way, so much so that encores of “The Cowboy In Me” and “Humble and Kind” were much deserved, though there was no topping the anthem “Live Like You Were Dying” as everyone unanimously embraced the spine-chilling call to make the most of each moment.

 Just before they did, Grand Ole Opry member and future superstar Carly Pearce gave supportive onlookers a preview of the “Hummingbird” project, which releases June 7 and seemed similarly promising to her multi-platinum past.

The dynamite vocalist/relatable songwriter carefully balanced the traditional and contemporary across “Diamondback,” “Next Girl,” “Easy Going” and even “Let’s Go To Vegas,” a shout-out to McGraw’s wife Faith Hill, prior to the personal crests “Truck On Fire,” “What He Didn’t Do” and “I Hope You’re Happy Now” boldly leading into the final bow.

For additional information on Tim McGraw and Carly Pearce, visit TimMcGraw.com and CarlyPearce.com.

For a list of upcoming Live Nation concerts, visit LiveNation.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at the United Center include Chi City Fest (Jun. 1); Chris Brown (Jun. 7-8); Tyler Childers (Jun. 13); Janet Jackson (Jun. 19); Jhené Aiko (Jun. 20); Justin Timberlake (Jun. 21-22); Russ (Jun. 23); Windy City Smokeout (Jul. 11-14); Carin León (Sept. 19-20); Hans Zimmer (Sept. 22); Cigarettes After Sex (Sept. 23); The National and The War On Drugs (Sept. 24); NCT Dream (Sept. 26); Jeff Lynne’s ELO (Sept. 27-28); Charli XCX and Troye Sivan (Sept. 30); Twenty One Pilots (Oct. 1-2); Childish Gambino (Oct. 3); Peso Pluma (Oct. 6); $uicideboy$ (Oct. 8); Maxwell (Oct. 10); Jelly Roll (Oct. 11); Maggie Rogers (Oct. 24); Justin Timberlake (Oct. 27); Usher (Oct. 28, 29 and 31); Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats (Nov. 1); Marco Antonio Solís (Nov. 3); Sebastian Maniscalco (Nov. 8-9); Billie Eilish (Nov. 13-14) and Shakira (Dec. 14). For additional details, visit UnitedCenter.com.

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Tim McGraw and a “Standing Room Only” United Center “Live Like You Were Dying”

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