Tim McGraw’s concert in Nevada came to a halt when the hitmaker forgot some lyrics and a few fans decided to boo him, causing McGraw upset and prompting him to handle the situation.
Over the weekend, the country superstar confronted a fan during his Reno, Nevada concert after forgetting the lyrics to “Where The Green Grass Grows.”
In a video obtained by TMZ, which you can watch below, the hitmaker is seen singing jumbled up lyrics on stage, as he seemingly forgot the words, at the Nugget Event Center on Saturday (Oct. 9) before he got into a scuffle with fans in the front row of the concert. After ignoring a few boos from the crowd, the Louisiana native abruptly stopped the show to confront a vocal couple in the pit, jumping off the stage without warning, before getting in their faces and staring them down.
After abruptly pausing the show to deal with the hecklers, McGraw resumed, telling the audience that despite being up for 48 hours filming the upcoming Yellowstone prequel, 1883, he still wanted to do his Reno show, blaming exhaustion as the part of the reason for not being able to remember the lyrics.“I’m not going through a midlife crisis,” McGraw said. “I don’t know how many of y’all know this, but we’re shooting a film called 1883. And so I had to dye my beard for this film. So, the jeans might be a midlife crisis, but not the beard. But we’ve been shooting … last week we shot 48 hours straight for two days. And we showed up to this show tonight because we love you. Thank y’all for being here […] But if I forget words tonight, just know, I’m old, and I’m shooting a movie […] So, if I forget the words, sing along and help me out.”
In addition to forgetting lyrics to the song, several fans reportedly claimed that McGraw sounded a bit off that evening.
As the country superstar recently returned to the road this summer, and he admitted that he really had to think about the lyrics after being off the road for so long.
“We haven’t played the new record because when the new album came out, you know, everything sort of went to hell in a handbasket,” McGraw shared, referencing the events of 2020. “And then in the meantime, I’ve started working on a new album. So, I’ve been in the studio learning new songs and learning all the new lyrics.”
When it came time to return to the touring circuit, McGraw says he had to brush up on some of his songs — even one of his biggest hits.
“In fact, the other day I was on the treadmill, and I was thinking, well, I’ve got a show comin ‘up, let me see what I can think of,” he recalled. “And I was trying to sing ‘Live Like You Were Dying,’ and I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I can’t remember the lyrics to ‘Live Like You Were Dying’.’ So, I’m hoping that I’ve done this long enough, 30 years now, that maybe muscle memory will kick in and I’ll remember all the lyrics when I get on stage.”
Thankfully, McGraw’s dedicated fans are there to help.
“But here’s one of the great things about being around for so long and havin’ hit songs, is a lot of times when you’re holding a microphone out and people know all the words, and they’re singing, they’re like, ‘Alright! Great! He’s lettin’ us sing.’ But most the time it’s because I forgot the lyrics, and you know ‘em better than I do,” he joked.
The three-time GRAMMY winner has even more lines to memorize this fall as he’s currently taping for his role in 1883, the highly anticipated Yellowstone prequel. Premiering on December 19, 2021, the show will co-star McGraw’s wife and fellow country superstar, Faith Hill, as well as Sam Elliott.
McGraw has plenty of live dates on the books for the remainder of the year. Click HERE to see if he’s coming to a city near you.
“7500 OBO,” McGraw’s latest single from his Here On Earth album, is out now.
