30 Years Ago Today: Tim McGraw’s First Concert in Cedar Rapids [PHOTOS]

April 24, 1993 was the first time Tim McGraw ever performed live in Cedar Rapids. All of us that were involved in that show will never forget it.

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The date above was when the 14th Annual KHAK Free Country Concert was held at the then Five Seasons Center in downtown Cedar Rapids.

First to the stage that night was the KHAK band Airwave. They were followed by a little-known artist that, at that time, most people coming to the show likely only knew as the son of former Major League Baseball closer Tug McGraw. I expect many didn't even know that.

The KHAK Free Country Concert always had a pre-party, that was held as a thank you to advertisers who helped us put on the free concert. Here's Tim with Julie and me before the concert that night. Tim and I both had a whole lot more hair then, Julie and I weren't married yet, and Tim hadn't even met Faith Hill.

McGraw's first radio single in 1991 had gone virtually unnoticed. Four days before the 1993 concert in Cedar Rapids, his debut album 'Tim McGraw' had been released. His single at that time wouldn't crack the Top 40. It was called "Welcome to the Club".

Two more unsuccessful singles would follow that year before Tim became a star with a new album, 'Not a Moment Too Soon', that was released in March of 1994. "Indian Outlaw", "Don't Take the Girl", "Down on the Farm", and "Refried Dreams" were all on that album. Two went to #1, one to #2, one to #5, and one to #8. A superstar had arrived.

More on Tim McGraw and Cedar Rapids a little later in this story.

I mentioned earlier that April 24, 1993, was the 14th Annual KHAK Free Country Concert. Red-hot band Sawyer Brown was the headliner that night. They played Farm Aid in Ames earlier that day before making their way to Cedar Rapids.

To say this was a big show would be a giant understatement. Oh, how the people came. So many in fact that the Fire Marshall ended up having us close the doors to additional entry. The place was packed to the rafters. We hopped out of our seats to make way for others. It was one gigantic party.

Sawyer Brown played many other Cedar Rapids shows that decade and is the only act that played the KHAK Free Country Concert three times (1993, 1997, 2008).

Tim McGraw would return to Cedar Rapids again for a show at the Country Club on 6th St. SW and on July 6, 1995, he came back to the city again as a headliner. That same weekend, the All Iowa Fair and Music Fest at Hawkeye Downs had shows from Clint Black and the Oak Ridge Boys.

On October 19, 1996, McGraw returned again. This time, he brought Faith Hill with him.

Tim and Faith had been married 13 days before the Cedar Rapids concert.

After that McGraw show in Cedar Rapids, our venues simply were no longer able to accommodate the crowds his concerts draw. However, McGraw has continued to perform at many other locations around the state.

Back in the summer of 2021 as I prepared to bring Sawyer Brown on stage at the Linn County Fair, their road manager said to me, 'We've got quite a history with your station.' He's right and the same can be said for Tim McGraw. We've been here since the beginning of a career that's spanned more than three decades.

The next time you go to a concert, pay close attention to the opening acts. You never know when you're watching a future superstar and Country Music Hall of Famer, which Tim McGraw most certainly will be.