BANGOR, Maine — Wearing matching outfits — right down to their cowboy hats, boots and peace sign necklaces — 9-year-olds Alexis Lovely and Jacalyn Pelletier of Fort Kent said it didn’t take much to convince their moms to bring them to see Tim McGraw perform Saturday night on the Bangor Waterfront.
While they couldn’t name their favorite song, the girls pressed against the metal rail separating seating areas to get the best view possible to take pictures as McGraw opened with “Baby, I’m a Real Good Man.”
A short time later, event staff let them through the gate for an even better view, and the girls posed for pictures taken by McGraw’s staff.
They weren’t the only concertgoers donning their best country attire. Cowboy hats, boots and plaid dominated downtown as thousands of fans gathered to see country superstar McGraw.
Trina Dorion of Howland had hoped she could get McGraw to sign her hat, but was thrilled just to get to see the concert.
“[My daughters] surprised me with the tickets, and I told them years ago all I want before I die is to see Tim McGraw,” said Dorion. “It was the best — he was amazing.”
Her daughters Samantha, Brittany and Katie got her the tickets for her birthday, and Dorion’s husband, Lennie Dorion, helped with the planning.
“We went to [see] Brooks and Dunn in North Carolina, and I thought Tim’s concert was so much better,” Trina Dorion said.
There were some weather-related obstacles that needed to be addressed before Saturday’s concert, but with the help of parks and recreation staff and others from the city of Bangor, the concert site had recovered from the rain left by Tropical Storm Earl on Friday night into Saturday morning.
Although the lawn seating area farthest from the stage remained slightly soggy, it was a far cry from the 3 inches of water that soaked the site early in the day, said concert series promoter Alex Gray.
“There was a river running through the site at 7:30 in the morning,” he said.
Opening act Brett Eldredge took a few minutes to get the crowd going, but before long he had them singing along to the ’70s Bob Seger hit “Night Moves” and clapping along to Eldredge originals.
But it was McGraw the audience was waiting for, and some already had caught a sneak peak of the country heartthrob (back off, ladies, he’s married) jogging shirtless through Bangor earlier in the day.
It didn’t take McGraw long to get the crowd on its feet singing, dancing and clapping along to McGraw favorites, such as “Where the Green Grass Grows,” “Back When” and “Indian Outlaw.”
He even ordered event staff to release the first two rows, allowing those people to dance right in front of the stage. Women reached up to touch McGraw as he stretched his hand out to the audience — one even appeared to write her phone number on his hand.
Some, however, didn’t care if they saw the stage, as hundreds gathered outside the concert gates and lined the streets and nearby parking lots to listen.
“It’s amazing to see the energy that this has created,” Gray said Saturday, adding that they’re ready for this week’s concerts. “I’m sure there are a few issues and a few angry customers … because I’m sure there are a few things we can improve upon. But Rome wasn’t built in a day, and we’re going to continue to improve and evolve.”
Gray wouldn’t provide a number when asked Sunday how many people attended Saturday night’s concert, but said it was higher than the original estimates of more than 6,800 provided to the Bangor Daily News on Saturday.
The performance was the third of seven in the Hollywood Slots Waterfront Concert Series, which had already drawn thousands from all over to see groups Celtic Woman, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Charlie Daniels Band.
The concert series will continue with Alan Jackson on Friday, Sept. 10; Jason Mraz with Robert Francis on Saturday, Sept. 11; Miranda Lambert on Saturday, Oct. 2; and Godsmack on Sunday, Oct. 10.