Tim McGraw Brings Pawn Shop Guitar Tour to Target Field in Minneapolis

Country music star Tim McGraw brought his summer Pawn Shop Guitar Tour to Target Field in Minneapolis on Sunday, August 23, 2026, performing for a crowd of more than 37,000 fans alongside co-headliners The Chicks and Lady A.

The venue opened its doors at 1:30 p.m. for the multi-act stadium show, which also featured tour support from country rock band 49 Winchester and newcomer Timothy Wayne, McGraw's nephew. The concert marked one of only three stadium dates on McGraw's itinerary that included both The Chicks and Lady A in the lineup.

McGraw previously opened Target Field's first-ever concert back in 2012 alongside fellow country artist Kenny Chesney. Returning to the baseball stadium 14 years later, the 59-year-old singer made a bold formatting choice by opening his performance with a 35-minute acoustic set of ballads and mid-tempo numbers, including his past hits "Just to See You Smile," "Where the Green Grass Grows," and "Don't Take the Girl."

"Well, I can't remember yesterday most of the time," said Tim McGraw, Country Music Singer. "But that tour is a big memory because Kenny and I have been friends since before we had record deals, before we had any kind of inkling that we would get a record deal. He and Tracy Lawrence and I were best friends for years before things started taking off for us."

McGraw recalled how meaningful the initial stadium launch had been for their careers and expressed his fondness for performing in the Twin Cities market.

"That was sort of special that Kenny and I were getting to do that together, and that whole tour was fantastic," said Tim McGraw, Country Music Singer. "Playing in Minneapolis was one of the best shows on that tour."

Following his acoustic opening, McGraw and his band shifted to high-energy electric hits such as "Real Good Man," "Indian Outlaw," and "Something Like That." He also highlighted his new single "Pawn Shop Guitar," telling the audience how he pawned his high school class ring to buy his first instrument, before gifting an autographed guitar to a young fan in the crowd.

Reflecting on his recovery from multiple back surgeries and a double knee replacement over recent years, McGraw shared details about his current physical state and musical output, noting that his doctor cleared him to return to full activity.

"I mean, I'm still recovering," said Tim McGraw, Country Music Singer. "I had my final back surgery, oh gosh, I want to say last July. But yeah, I was definitely in the recovery mode during that time, and it was a difficult time.

I'm so used to being so active, and especially on stage. But sometimes you get up on stage, and if you're in pain or something like that, the adrenaline takes over and your muscle memory kicks in."

He noted that his doctor told him his current physical capacity of 85 to 90 percent represents his new baseline following the procedures.

"But, you know, you take Advil and get through it," said Tim McGraw, Country Music Singer. "I'm 59 years old. I'm cleared to do anything I want.

The doctor says I'm back to 100 percent. I tell him I feel like I'm about 85 or 90 percent, and he says, 'Well, after all of your surgeries and your age, that's probably your new 100.' And I said, 'Okay, I'll accept that and navigate it.'"

McGraw explained his decision to schedule Minneapolis as one of the few stadium stops on his current circuit, citing his long-standing fan base in the area.

"Well, every time we play Minnesota, we always have a great crowd and it's always been one of my best places to play," said Tim McGraw, Country Music Singer. "It's one of my top markets, and so it just felt like a really natural place to do it. Plus, I love the lineup that we have for the stadium shows we've done with Lady A and the Chicks.

I'm big, big fans of both, and I've toured with both of those groups two or three times throughout my career. It's just sort of a perfect lineup, perfect storm and a perfect play."

Addressing the inclusion of his co-headliners, McGraw emphasized that his selection was strictly based on musical quality and mutual respect.

"No, my choice was about music and about the music that I like and people that I know and like," said Tim McGraw, Country Music Singer. "To me, music is a sacred sort of thing that everyone should enjoy (regardless of) the politics. Get the messages that you want out of the music, but I think that no matter where you land in the spectrum of what the political landscape is these days, music is something that everybody can come together around, and it should be that way."

He praised the talent and historical legacy of The Chicks within country music history.

"The Chicks are so damn good," said Tim McGraw, Country Music Singer. "They have some of the biggest records ever in the history of country music, and I think they are one of the biggest acts in the history of country music and should be considered that way. You can't deny that talent or how great the songs and the music are."

During his address before "Song for America," McGraw also acknowledged the difficulties local residents faced in recent years, praising the community's resilience.

"You guys have been steady and strong," said Tim McGraw, Country Music Singer. "and I wanted you to know everybody has noticed that."

Prior to his encore song "King Rodeo," McGraw reiterated his support for the local crowd.

"I appreciate how you stood up to it," said Tim McGraw, Country Music Singer.

McGraw also discussed the backstory of his new single and upcoming album, both titled "Pawn Shop Guitar," which draw heavily from his early personal experiences moving to Nashville.

"I wrote quite a few songs during my downtime, and I wrote that with Tom Douglas," said Tim McGraw, Country Music Singer. "It's the story of how I got to Nashville. I mean, there's some artistic license in there, but the essence of the song is really the story of my move to Nashville and me starting my career.

And then it seemed fitting to name the tour that and our album coming out this fall is going to be named that as well. There's still a few things to finish up, but there are a lot of personal songs on there, a lot of personal stories, and it's probably the best collection of music and songs that I've ever had and I don't say that lightly."

He expressed enthusiasm about remaining creative in the recording studio 35 years into his career.

"I feel like we're still making great music, and I feel like we're making better music than we've ever made," said Tim McGraw, Country Music Singer. "One of the most fun times that I have is being in the studio for two or three weeks at a time with the group of guys that I record with. It's like all of us going into a submarine and just hanging out together and being creative and making music.

And I still like to record the old-fashioned way. I like to have the whole band in at once and spending a couple of weeks together making the record and everybody having input and creativeness."

McGraw also noted that experimenting with acoustic sets was a new experience for his tour production.

"This was the first time we'd ever done that," said Tim McGraw, Country Music Singer. "I know everybody expects our shows to be really high energy and I love all that stuff, all the lights and the videos and putting a stage show together. This was something I wanted to experiment with, and we weren't sure that it was going to work or not, but we wanted to try.

Everybody jumped on board, and I think it's one of the best sets we've ever put together. You get the best of both worlds. Our acoustic set is really cool, and it has a lot"

The concert featured early sets from 49 Winchester and Timothy Wayne before Lady A took the stage just after 6:00 p.m. to deliver a one-hour set of their hit singles, followed by a 15-song performance by The Chicks leading into McGraw's headlining set.