By the time syndicated radio personality Bobby Bones led the crowd in singing happy birthday to headliner Tim McGraw near the end of Saturday’s second annual iHeartRadio Country Festival, it wasn’t actually McGraw’s birthday anymore, noted Peter Blackstock of austin360.com. Running past midnight, the five-hour marathon at the Austin's Erwin Center was a major event for fans of mainstream country music — but it might have been a little too much of a good thing.
McGraw, one of country’s biggest stars of the past 20 years, was an ideal choice to close the show, and his signature hit “Live Like You Were Dying” sent the near-capacity crowd home on an inspirational high. But audience members could be forgiven if their energy level had flagged a bit at that point, given that 2014’s nine-act lineup ballooned to an endurance-testing 11 this time.
Brad Paisley got the party started a few minutes past 7 p.m. with a six-song set that showcased his electric guitar playing as well as his songs and singing.
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The event was taped for a May 27 NBC prime-time telecast.
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