WATCH: The Heartwarming Moment Tim McGraw and 20,000 Fans Pay Tribute to McGraw's Late Father, Tug

During the first ever concert of its kind at Iowa's Field of Dreams, Tim McGraw delivered a high-octane, hit-filled set to a packed-out crowd as part of the two-day extravaganza. The Live at Field of Dreams celebration was the venue's debut music festival.

The performance was the perfect representation of McGraw's stacked, eclectic catalogue, with the country legend flitting seamlessly between beers-in-the-air anthems such as ‘Truck Yeah’ and evocative, tear-jerking ballads like ‘Live Like You Were Dying’.

Movingly, McGraw dedicated the latter to his late father, Tug, who was a renowned MLB baseball player for both the New York Mets and the Philadelphia Phillies. Tug - whose full name was Frank Edwin ‘Tug’ McGraw Jr. - was a relief pitcher for the best part of two decades, with the California native retiring in 1984.

Tug passed away in 2004 at the age of 59 from the brain cancer, glioblastoma. With McGraw performing at the Field of Dreams in Dyersville on what would have been Tug's 81st birthday, he offered a heartwarming tribute to his pops. The fact that this was taking place in an MLB ball-park made the moment all the more special.

As well as paying homage to his father through his rousing ode, ‘Live Like You Were Dying’, Tim McGraw also led a ballpark-wide chorus of ‘Happy Birthday’ in honour of his dad.

Elsewhere on Day One of Live at Field of Dreams, Hailey Whitters served up a memorable performance, during which she revealed she is expecting her first baby - a boy.

In addition, Ty Myers serenaded the crowd with a stellar set, while Timothy Wayne produced an impressive cover of Dierks Bentley's ‘Still Got A Lot Of Leavin' Left To Do’.

McGraw has a slew of tour-stops left on the calendar for 2025, with dates coming up in New Mexico, Florida, Tennessee, Nevada, Michigan, Ohio, Oklahoma and more. With the ‘Where the Green Grass Grows’ hitmaker continuing to drip-feed new music to fans, such as the surprise releases, ‘Paper Umbrellas’ with Parker McCollum and ‘People Like Us’, we're hoping the country icon's eagerly awaited follow-up album to 2023's Standing Room Only is on the horizon.

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featured photo by Steve Thrasher, courtesy of Shore Fire Media