This past weekend brought delays and cancellations at shows across the board thanks to the never-ending battles with smoke in the air and storms brewing.
Quite a few Northeast concerts took a hit, including Tim McGraw’s recent Saturday, July 18 stop just outside of Pittsburgh. The 59-year-old country music staple thanked his loyal crowd of storm-braving fans in a recent social media post, saying, “Huge thank you to everyone who braved the wildfire smoke and weather to come see us this weekend. Toronto, Cleveland and Pittsburgh were some of our best crowds yet, and we had a blast playing for ya’ll!”
Right around 7 p.m., when the show was about to begin, of course, Murphy’s law: the storm clouds let loose, forcing fans in attendance to take cover, and opening act 49 Winchester unfortunately having to forfeit their performance slot. If you’ve ever experienced the downfalls of a summer storm rolling in ahead of or amid a concert, it’s one of the most grueling experiences.
Mix the humidity in the air from hiding from the rain with the uncertainty of not knowing when the show will start back up again, and you’re in for quite the night. Luckily, as the skies started to clear, attendees at The Pavilion at Star Lake found a way to keep themselves heavily entertained while playing the waiting game in probably the best (and most redneck) way possible before McGraw took the stage.
A video from TikTok user, @MariaBuzzard, shows the night’s new pre-show entertainment of a bunch of men— and a few ladies— climbing to the top of the pavilion for some good ole fashion bare belly slip n’ sliding in the rain down the hill. With an audience of concert-goers cheering them on and everyone pumped in a long lineup ready for their very own Redneck Run, one man to the side tipped off the race, commencing the competitors to go full force down the hill, flopping on their stomachs.
I think a lot ’em thought they were going to catch a lot more momentum than they actually did, with many just landing flat face on the ground (Lord, I know those grass-burn marks gotta hurt) while others continued to just roll down the hill. I’m not sure there was a clear winner, or if there was even meant to be a competitive aspect to makeshift Jambo Slip and Slide, but it seems like everyone, including the participants, was pretty entertained by the activity.
Everyone in the comments echoed their appreciation for the silly little distraction, with the video-poster even responding to a comment asking, “But why?” with the simple response of a laughing emoji and, “…something to do.” Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures, and if there’s one thing a bunch of redneck country music-loving fans know how to do, it’s how to have a good time.
Luckily, soon after, with everyone soaked from the rain and some covered in muddy grass chunks, McGraw ended up taking the stage and delivering a well-rounded set of twenty of his beloved top hits. The “Just To See You Smile” singer will return to the stage on his 2026 Pawn Shop Guitar Tour this Thursday, July 23, in Camden, NJ (with hopefully some improved weather).
Tour Dates:
- July 23, 2026 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion *
- July 24, 2026 – Wantagh, NY – Northwell at Jones Beach Theater *
- July 25, 2026 – Saratoga Springs, NY – Saratoga Performing Arts Center *
- July 30, 2026 – Boston, MA – Fenway Park *+≠^
- July 31, 2026 – Syracuse, NY – Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater at Lakeview *
- August 1, 2026 – Darien Center, NY – Darien Lake Amphitheater*
- August 6, 2026 – Virginia Beach, VA – Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater at Virginia Beach *
- August 7, 2026 – Raleigh, NC – Coastal Credit Union Music Park at Walnut Creek *
- August 8, 2026 – Daniel Island – Charleston, SC – Credit One Stadium ^
- August 13, 2026 – Birmingham, AL – Coca-Cola Amphitheater *
- August 14, 2026 – Charlotte, NC – Truliant Amphitheater (PNC Music Pavilion) *
- August 15, 2026 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live *
- August 21, 2026 – Kansas City, MO – Morton Amphitheater
- August 22, 2026 – East Troy, WI – Alpine Valley Music Theatre *
- August 23, 2026 – Minneapolis, MN – Target Field *+≠^
- August 27, 2026 – Cincinnati, OH – Riverbend Music Center *^
- August 28, 2026 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre *
- August 29, 2026 – Grand Rapids, MI – Acrisure Amphitheater *
- September 10, 2026 – Austin, TX – Moody Center *^
- September 11, 2026 – Dallas, TX – Dos Equis Pavilion *^
- September 12, 2026 – Rogers, AR – Walmart AMP *
- September 17, 2026 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheater
- September 18, 2026 – Noblesville, IN – Ruoff Music Center *
- September 19, 2026 – Tinley Park, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre *
- September 24, 2026 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
- September 25, 2026 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre *
- September 26, 2026 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre *
* 49 Winchester
+ The Chicks
≠ Lady A
^ Timothy Wayne