Tim McGraw shows Ventura, CA a good time

On October 14th, Boots and Brews in Ventura was proud to host country legend Tim McGraw with special guest Michael Ray.

Michael Ray started the evening off serenading the crowd with hit after hit; he’s one of the next big stars, so keep an eye out for him. After his set, I was very fortunate to meet him and talk about his show and music. He’s such a nice and humble guy.

It was then time for country legend Tim McGraw.

I grew up listening to him, so I was super excited to be able to photograph him. McGraw opened the show by asking the crowd, “Do you say ‘Ventura’ or do you say ‘Venchura’? If it is ‘Ventura’, raise your hand… if it is ‘Venchura’, raise your hand… so, ‘Ventura’ is it!” Boots and Brews has a hometown feel that everyone in the crowd appreciated. While performing his songs, he gave some backstories for each of his big hits, allowing for the crowd to feel even more connected to his music and making his performance so much more emotionally-charged! Knowing the backstories to his songs makes the show so much more enjoyable. He didn’t skip a beat, starting the night off with a home run of a song, “Something Like That”, which is about finding love on Labor Day.

Tim McGraw was a huge draw for the festival at the Ventura County Fairgrounds; the parking lot was full with an almost sold-out event. Throughout the night he played hit after hit, engaging with the crowd and having girls go crazy over him.

Seeing the crowd sing along to his songs made the show much more enjoyable.

This was one of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time. McGraw’s music will always be timeless and it was by far one of the biggest Boots and Brews Festival installments California has seen. Definitely go see Tim McGraw if he’s in a city next year. Will Boots and Brews Fest top this one next year in Ventura? We will just have to wait and see!

Photography by Gunnar Velten

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