Seeing as how most people would rather stick a sharp shard of glass in their eye than get up on stage and sing (or do anything) in front of thousands of people, it’s probably fair to say that most of us understand (at least a little) that even if one’s job involves doing such a thing on a regular basis, it’s not always easy to do. Country superstar Tim McGraw, who’s currently filming Yellowstone’s 1883 prequel, is a very seasoned performer, which is likely why the exhausted singer / actor recently felt A-OK going off and confronting some concert hecklers during a show.
Back in early August it was announced that Tim McGraw would star alongside his fellow country music legend wife, Faith Hill, as Dutton family ancestors James and Margaret in the Y: 1883 cast. They’ve been filming for several weeks now, but McGraw is also still working his main gig and performing shows for fans of his music, which has led to some expected exhaustion from burning the candle at both ends. TMZ obtained footage of him during a recent show at the Nugget Event Center in Reno, Nevada, which shows McGraw getting off of the stage to confront hecklers, after he began to forget some of the lyrics to his 1997 hit, “Just to See You Smile.”
After originally appearing to wave off the criticism and carrying on with the show, McGraw is then shown between songs, and when he hears them again, he asks why they’re heckling and basically tells them to leave if they don't like the show. Later, though, while leaning down at the foot of the stage, to sing closer to the audience, someone in the crowd (possibly the same people from earlier) did something he really didn’t like, because McGraw quickly stops singing, stands straight up, and holds a very threatening posture while motioning at the audience member in a way that seems to say, “For real? Fine. COME AT ME, BRO.”
This led to a complete work stoppage for McGraw, as he actually came down off of the stage to personally confront the person who heckled him, as some fans called for him to simply continue the show. We don’t know how long things were stalled, in part because McGraw’s band just kept on playing, but he did eventually return to the stage and continue.
Look, I certainly sympathize with folks in the crowd who just wanted Tim McGraw to keep on keeping on, regardless of whatever the hecklers said or did, but I also understand why he felt triggered. While it might not seem like it, singing live for a couple of hours straight is hard work, even if no stage fright accompanies it. Add to that the fact that McGraw had already noted to the audience that he might be likely to forget some lyrics, because he’d been shooting Y: 1883 for 48 hours straight right before that, and it really seems like poor form to heckle the man.
While it sounds like the set of Y: 1883 might be bordering on some workplace violations, I at least hope that McGraw didn’t have to be on camera most of that time, though it is possible. The prequel will follow the old-timey Duttons as they travel west through the Great Plains seeking “the last bastion of untamed America,” so McGraw and Hill could have spent that whole two day period ridin’, ropin’, fightin’, and cussin’, and that’s the kind of thing that could really take it out of you when you have to perform live the next day.
Hopefully, Tim McGraw’s fans now know to take the singer at his word if he says he needs a little leeway when he’s doing a show, and they’ll give it to him. Or, at least they’ll have the good sense to only heckle when they’re so far back he can’t get to them. McGraw has always seemed like a nice man, but it also appears that he’s not to be trifled with, which makes perfect sense for someone playing an adventurous Dutton patriarch.
Y:1883 will debut on Paramount+ on December 19, but until then you can see what else to watch with our 2021 fall TV premiere schedule.
