On April 29, 2015, the San Diego Union Tribune (
visit link) reported:
"Tim McGraw performs on Coronado beach
The country-music superstar, fresh from his Stagecoach festival performance, led his band in concert Wednesday night in front of the historic Hotel del Coronado.
By George Varga | 5:18 p.m. April 29, 2015 | Updated, 7:48 a.m. | April 30, 2015
Last weekend, Tim McGraw headlined at the Stagecoach festival in Indio, where he appeared in front of an audience that numbered in the tens of thousands of fans. On Wednesday night, the country-music superstar performed for a much smaller audience on the beach in front of the Hotel del Coronado.
The concert was a private event for a corporate client. But since the stage was on the beach in front of the historic hotel, area fans – who learned of the concert online and via social media – arrived early to claim a spot on the sand, just outside the perimeter of the private concert. Hundreds had gathered by the time McGraw kicked off his beach show around 8 p.m.
He was still performing more than 90 minutes later, although the staff of the landmark hotel that hosted his concert tried its best to keep things under wraps. That was no easy task, given that the private concert was held on a mostly very public beach.
“We have a sales client with a private event on the Hotel del Coronado property, not on the public beach area,” a hotel representative said in an email Wednesday afternoon. “We have had many events on Del Beach over the years similar to this and there have not been any issues. The City of Coronado is of course aware of the event as they oversee the public beach. Thanks for understanding our comments and position as this is a private function for a group.”
The client with the private event is Zaxby's, a chain of chicken restaurants that was launched in 1990 and now operates at more than 675 locations in 13 states. It offers nine sauces for its chicken, including Wimpy, Tongue Torch, Nuclear and Insane.
"It was definitely a well-kept secret and we’re thrilled that many people got to share in the experience," Zaxby's spokeswoman Kami Wood said Thursday morning. "This concert was part of a 25th anniversary celebration. Corporate leaders and all our franchisees were invited."
McGraw opened his Coronado show with "Truck Yeah," the same song he played to begin his Stagecoach festival show on Friday. He introduced himself and his band by saying: "Hi, I'm Tim, and these are my boys." During "Just to See You Smile," he sat on the edge of the stage, the better to get close and personal with his private audience. His set list hewed closely to the songs he performed at Stagecoach.
Wednesday’s concert marked McGraw's second seaside San Diego show here in the past two years. In early 2013, he performed for 1,500 people on the flight deck of the USS Midway. Tickets for that concert were given away through corporate promotions and via radio. He performed here later that year at the nearly-20,000-capacity Sleep Train Amphitheatre in Chula Vista.
McGraw will launch his Shotgun Rider 2015 Tour on June 5 in Little Rock. The tour concludes Sept. 19 at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine, but skips San Diego, so Wendesday's Coronado gig may have been the best chance for his San Diego fans who don't want to undertake a road trip to catch him on stage.
Here are all the dates on his tour:
Tim McGraw – Shotgun Rider Tour 2015
June 5 Little Rock, AR Verizon Arena
June 6 Dallas, TX Gexa Energy Pavilion
June 11 Wantagh, NY Nikon at Jones Beach Theatre
June 12 Boston, MA XFINITY Center
June 18 Phoenix, AZ Ak-Chin Pavilion
June 19 Albuquerque, NM Isleta Amphitheater
July 10 Raleigh, NC Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
July 11 Charlotte, NC PNC Music Pavilion
July 16 Toronto, ON Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
July 18 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center
July 19 Virginia Beach, VA Farm Bureau Live
July 24 Bonner Springs, KS Cricket Wireless Amphitheater
July 30 Darien Center, NY Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
July 31 Cleveland, OH Blossom Music Pavilion
August 1 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
August 2 Detroit, MI DTE Energy Music Theatre
August 7 Indianapolis, IN Klipsch Music Center
August 8 Chicago, IL First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
August 9 St. Louis, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
August 14 Birmingham, AL Oak Mountain Amphitheater
August 21 West Palm Beach, FL Coral Sky Amphitheatre
August 22 Tampa, FL MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
August 28 Washington, DC Jiffy Lube Live
August 29 Philadelphia, PA Susquehanna Bank Center
August 30 Pittsburgh, PA First Niagara Pavilion
September 4 Seattle, WA White River Amphitheatre
September 5 Portland, OR Amphitheatre Northwest
September 9 Denver, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre
September 10 Denver, CO Red Rocks Amphitheatre
September 12 Salt Lake City, UT USANA Amphitheatre
September 17 Sacramento, CA Sleep Train Amphitheatre
September 18 Mountain View, CA Shoreline Amphitheatre
September 19 Irvine, CA Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
On Wednesday night (that is, tonight, April 29), the country-music superstar will perform for a much smaller audience on the beach in front of the Hotel del Coronado.
The concert is a private event for a corporate client. But since the stage is set up on the beach in front of the historic hotel, fans who learned of the concert online are already positioned in lawn chairs and on blankets to enjoy the music.
The event is scheduled to get underway at 6 p.m., although it is unclear if McGraw will be the sole performer, or if a dinner will precede the music. Several sources provided later starting times for his performance, ranging from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
"We have a sales client with a private event on the Hotel del Coronado property, not on the public beach area," a hotel representative said in an email. "We have had many events on Del Beach over the years similar to this and there have not been any issues. The City of Coronado is of course aware of the event as they oversee the public beach. Thanks for understanding our comments and position as this is a private function for a group."
This marks McGraw's second seaside show here in the past two years. In early 2013, he performed for 1,500 people on the flight deck of the USS Midway. Tickets for that concert were given away through corporate promotions and via radio.
McGraw will launch his Shotgun Rider 2015 Tour on June 5 in Little Rock. The tour concludes ept. 19 at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre in Irvine, but skips San Diego, so tonight's Coronado gig may be the best chance for his fans here who don't want to undertake a road trip to catch him on stage."