Brothers (and Sister) of the Sun: Kenny Chesney, Tim McGraw
and Grace Potter, Heinz Field June 30, 2012
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| Heinz Field - great place to see a show |
Early in Tim McGraw’s set, the woman sitting next to me
leaned over and asked “do you think he goes tanning?”
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| The man in white |
The Inky Jukebox
opens with this because it seems to sum up something very interesting about the
Brothers of the Sun tour — those compatriots being the aforementioned Mr.
McGraw and his longtime pal Kenny Chesney. Billed as a co-headliner, the tour
(and everyone attending it) nevertheless implicitly understands that there is
no parity here — all is not equal under this particular sun. McGraw is opening
for Chesney, and anyone who doubts that ought to come out and see for
themselves.
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| A tanned Tim McGraw in his Christian Grey jeans |
But back to the tanning. She asked this because of the deep
chestnut color of McGraw’s skin, which was emphasized nicely by his choice of
all-white, tight-fitting clothing. Surely this is a shade not achieved in
nature? We do not think McGraw goes tanning, no. Not in the way she envisioned,
in any case. Does McGraw care about his tan, however?
Hells yes. The difference
between McGraw and Chesney is that Chesney popped out of his center-stadium
podium in a sleeveless grey shirt with a small sweat stain already darkening it
— a few songs later it was soaked through. Did he change it? No.
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| Honey Badger don't care about being sweaty |
It was odd seeing McGraw do his set in the sunlight — after
years of closing shows in the prime spotlight, it was a bit sad to see him
deliver “Live Like You Were Dying” without the dramatic assistance provided by
darkness and lighting. (And by "sunlight," we mean scorching 100 degree solar glare. Hence the aptness of their cover of "Blister In The Sun.") His set was also weighted with too many unfamiliar
tracks — ending with his new single “Truck, Yeah,” which is far too easy to
simply call “Truck, NO.”
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| But lo, what light from yonder spotlight breaks? Why, 'tis a brother of the sun |
Add to that the fact that there were still too many
yellow seats waiting for their tailgaters and the sheer volume of the crowd
once Chesney appeared, and you got the feeling that the torch had been passed —
and not just on this tour, but perhaps years ago.
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| Bring your beach balls, y'all |
This show marked a historic precedent, which was marked by
the presentation of an iron plaque celebrating Chesney’s sixth straight sold
out show at Heinz Field. This is notable because although Chesney is obviously
a friend of football, and has made stadiums his own stages all across the
country, it genuinely feels as if the Heinz crowd responds in a special way.
Perhaps this is also because Chesney has the gift of actually sounding genuine
when he speaks to the crowd. It goes a very long way.
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| Raucous, drunken crowd enjoying the show |
Chesney also knows a very significant thing about his
audience: we come to have a good time, and to hear his greatest hits. This, he
delivers, one after another, the entire show.
In the morning he'll be leaving, taking himself off to Cleveland, but for now he's mine, all mine
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| Jack-in-the-box |
It is bookended by “Beer In
Mexico” and “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy,” the opening violin strains of which
whip the crowd into a frenzy.
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| Where's Kenny? |
But the awesome spectacle of a Kenny Chesney concert was not
necessarily the highlight of the evening — it was Grace Potter and the
Nocturnals. Because they haven’t had a hit single, and folks only really know
of Potter through her duet “You and Tequila” with Chesney, it seemed odd that
she would go on after Jake Owen, who has had numerous hits. But as soon as
Potter strutted out on stage dressed in what looked like a low-cut black
bathing suit and flimsy wrap, her ridiculously long legs amped up on heels,
singing by herself, unaccompanied — the half-full stadium immediately sat up
and paid attention. Her entrance was astonishing — as was the entire set, where
she played keyboards, a sweet Flying V, and drums, all the while delivering a
husky-voiced blistering serving of blues rock. By the time she shook her stuff
to ZZ Top’s “Tush,”
The Inky Jukebox
was sold. What was this girl like in high school? Wow.
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| Country girls and boys gettin' down on the stage |
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| Kenny Chesney delivers nothing but monster hits |
