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Country icon Tim McGraw made history Saturday, Aug, 30, with the\u00a0first-ever concert at the legendary Field of Dreams\u00a0in Dyersville, Iowa. But for McGraw, the night was more than just a milestone. It was deeply personal.<\/p>\n
\u201cWould\u2019ve been my dad\u2019s 81st birthday,\u201d McGraw shared on Instagram<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019m gonna be looking at the cornfield out there and seeing if Tug and Hank walk out and say hello tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n The crowd joined McGraw in singing\u00a0\u201cHappy Birthday\u201d\u00a0to his late father, Tug McGraw \u2014 the legendary MLB pitcher who passed away in 2004 at age 59. The \u201cHank\u201d McGraw mentioned is his Uncle Hank (Henry Thomas McGraw), Tug\u2019s older brother and a former ballplayer himself, who passed away in July 2024.<\/p>\n \u201cThis weekend we lost the patriarch of the McGraw family,\u201d Tim McGraw wrote<\/a> at the time. \u201cOur beloved \u2018Uncle Hank.\u2019 He was just an incredible man.\u201d<\/p>\n McGraw didn\u2019t know Tug was his father until he was 11. Their bond grew later in life, and Tug spent his final months at Tim\u2019s Tennessee home with Tim\u2019s wife, Faith Hill. Just months after Tug\u2019s passing, McGraw released \u201cLive Like You Were Dying,\u201d a song that captured the emotional journey of embracing life \u2014 and loss.<\/p>\n As Tim McGraw wrote in the lyrics: \u201cI was finally the husband that most the time I wasn\u2019t\/ And I became a friend a friend would like to have\/ And all of a sudden goin\u2019 fishin\u2019 wasn\u2019t such an imposition\/ And I went three times that year I lost my dad.\u201d<\/p>\n The music video ends with Tug\u2019s iconic final strike in the 1980 World Series.<\/p>\n In a 2021 podcast episode with Oscar-winning actor Matthew McConaughey<\/a>, McGraw recalled recording the song during Tug\u2019s battle with brain cancer:<\/p>\n \u201cMy Uncle Hank was there\u2026 I looked around at the band. I said, \u2018I think it\u2019s time to do this song.\u2019 \u2026 My uncle collapsed on a couch crying every time we did a pass of it.\u201d<\/p>\n The Field of Dreams site \u2014 built for the 1989 film starring Kevin Costner \u2014 is steeped in father-son symbolism. In the movie, Costner\u2019s character gets a chance to \u201chave a catch\u201d with his late dad. On Saturday, McGraw got his own version of that moment.<\/p>\n \u201cIowa!! You guys brought it last night!\u201d McGraw posted. \u201cFirst ever concert @thefieldofdreamsmoviesite and on Tug\u2019s birthday too! Hard to top that!!\u201d<\/p>\n Major League Baseball will return to the Field of Dreams in August 2026 with a game between the Philadelphia Phillies and Minnesota Twins \u2014 but McGraw\u2019s night under the lights and cornfields may be the most unforgettable play yet.<\/p>\n More: <\/strong>MLB expected to return to \u2018Field of Dreams\u2019 movie site in Dyersville, Iowa, for 2026 game<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n \u201cTruck Yeah\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSouthern Voice\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAll I Want Is a Life\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cEverywhere\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHappy Birthday to You\u201d (Mildred J. Hill & Patty Hill cover) (Happy 81st birthday to his dad Tug McGraw)<\/p>\n \u201cHow Bad Do You Want It\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cLast Dollar (Fly Away)\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOne Bad Habit\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPaper Umbrellas\u201d (Guest vocals from Timothy Wayne)<\/p>\n \u201cSomething Like That\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cDown on the Farm\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cKing Rodeo\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI Like It, I Love It\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cReal Good Man\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Cowboy in Me\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHumble and Kind\u201d (Lori McKenna cover)<\/p>\n \u201cLive Like You Were Dying\u201d<\/p>\n Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Twitter<\/a>, or\u00a0Instagram<\/a>, or drop her a line at\u00a0sstapleton@gannett.com<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Tim McGraw\u2019s Field of Dreams concert honors late father<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\nWhen will Major League Baseball return to the Field of Dreams?<\/h2>\n
What songs did Tim McGraw perform at the Field of Dreams?<\/h2>\n