Photo: Rich Polk/Getty Images for iHeartRadio
Tim McGraw launched into an epic set at the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Festival set with “How Bad Do You Want It,” firing up the T-Mobile Arena crowd in Las Vegas, Nevada. The country music megastar delivered renditions of career-spanning anthems, including 90s country throwbacks and tracks from his latest full-length project, Standing Room Only.
McGraw unleashed his debut album in 1993, and in the last three decades, he’s become widely known for smash-hits throughout his career like “Something Like That,” “Real Good Man,” “Live Like You Were Dying” and others (all of which he included in his iHeartRadio Music Festival performance). McGraw released his 13-track album, Standing Room Only, last month. The long-awaited collection includes the title track, “Remember Me Well” and others that quickly became fan-favorites.
“It’s (a collection of) songs that said that there is a purpose that we’re here,” McGraw previously said. “There is a reason that we’re here. There is good, there is light, there (are) plenty of people out there who care, and plenty of people out there who just want the motivation to do that — including me. I can get very insular and isolated, and like it. Especially over the last three years or so, but you have to force yourself to go out there and not get lost inside your own head.”
McGraw recently received the Icon Award at the 16th annual ACM Honors, an accolade that recognizes an artist for boosting “the popularity of the genre through their contributions in multiple facets of the industry, such as songwriting, recording, production, touring, film, television, literary works, philanthropic contributions, and other goodwill efforts,” per the Academy of Country Music. McGraw accepted the honor with a heartfelt speech and sweet tributes to his wife, fellow country hitmaker Faith Hill, and the couple’s three daughters, Gracie McGraw, 26, Maggie McGraw, 25, and Audrey McGraw, 21.
Other artists to take the stage at the two-night, multi-genre iHeartRadio Music Festival this year include Foo Fighters, Fall Out Boy, Kelly Clarkson, Lil Wayne, Lenny Kravitz, Miguel, Public Enemy, Kane Brown, Sheryl Crow, Thirty Seconds to Mars, Travis Scott and more. The festival continues Saturday (September 23).
If you missed any of this year’s iHeartRadio Music Festival, or just want to relive the weekend, you can watch all of the best moments on demand on Hulu from October 10 through October 31.