Boots in the Park in Norco kicks up its heels with Tim McGraw, Dustin Lynch and more – San Bernardino Sun

From the time the gates opened for the first Boots in the Park at SilverLakes in Norco on Saturday, fans were ready to party. The weather was warm and breezy, and there was fried food and barbecue, cold drinks, country music and good vibes all around.

Attendees who showed up early played games on the sprawling festival grounds, hit up the free Ferris wheel and line danced. Throughout the day, many enjoyed the array of cocktails, shots and beer available, so much so that by the end of the night a Riverside Sheriff’s deputy, who had been brought on stage to introduce festival headliner Tim McGraw, joked that while the day had been pretty peaceful, he thought a lot of folks had forgotten how to pace themselves after two years at home.

But fans weren’t the only ones out to have a good time. Dustin Lynch came out after sunset delivering hits like “Where It’s At,” “Small Town Boy,” “Seein’ Red,” and his latest, “Party Mode.” He told the crowd he could definitely feel its energy.

“I can already tell this is a night we’re never gonna forget,” he said. “Y’all sound so damn good. I’m gonna have to catch a buzz with y’all tonight.”

Lynch’s deep vocals breezed through the festival grounds with the ballad “Cowboys and Angels,” but he brought back the party with “Good Girl.” Midway through that song, he added a medley that included ’90s hits like Smash Mouth’s “All Star,” Semisonic’s “Closing Time” and Green Day’s “When I Come Around,” as he jumped off the stage and cruised through the enthusiastic audience that sang along with him in the pit.

He was a great warm-up for McGraw, who also seemed genuinely thrilled to be performing after a pandemic-forced hiatus. He’s now got decades of hits to play live and he shuffled the deck well with a nice blend of the classics and fresh material. He opened with “How Bad Do You Want It” with his band absolutely ripping through the song and the crowd going wild. They wanted it bad and he gave it to them.

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Next up was “Something Like That,” a hit from the late ’90s that gave us the often joked-about lyric “I had a barbecue stain on my white T-shirt.” McGraw smiled as he sings the line and later in the song just points the microphone at the fans and let’s them roar it back at him. He didn’t speak much during the set, other than to thank everyone for making a day like this one possible again. Instead, he sang, danced around in his blue jeans and boots, strapped on a guitar from time to time and gave this crowd a show. People were fired up during “Felt Good On My Lips,” “I Like It, I Love It,” and “Live Like You Were Dying.”

Though it had been about 80 degrees earlier in the day, the temperature dropped rapidly at night, falling to the upper 50s by the end of McGraw’s turn. Fans began to head out, their daytime summer wear now covered in sweatshirts, beach towels and blankets, as he dove into a three-song encore. He finished the set with “The Cowboy in Me,” “Indian Outlaw” and though not his most rambunctious outro, he saved the timely ballad “Humble and Kind” for last and reminded everyone to take care of each other.

The day also included sets by singer-songwriter and Army veteran Craig Morgan, who had flown in from Alaska for the gig and shook his hips and sang songs like “That’s What I Love About Sunday,” “Whiskey” and he added in a little of The Beatles’ “Hey Jude,” into “Wake Up Loving You.” Australian country star Morgan Evans impressed with songs like “Kiss Somebody” and “Day Drunk,” which some found an appropriate anthem for this event.

Northern California singer-songwriter Claire Wright had a fun run as the crowd danced along to her song “Vice.” Norco’s own Presley Tennant not only opened the show and played new music including “Gamble On You,” but she stunned the capacity crowd when she returned to the stage to sing the national anthem just before McGraw’s performance.

Overall, the day felt as “back to normal” as things can feel at the moment, with a few dozen or so fans still opting to wear face coverings during the outdoor festival. The promoters were also teasing its next Boots in the Park fest in Norco, led by Blake Shelton, which is happening June 17. After having to postpone festivals for over a year due to COVID-19, the promoters brought the series back to Norco in June 2021 with Chris Young.

There were still a few kinks to be worked out. As fans left the venue en mass Saturday night, there was confusion about vehicle exit routes. Everything came to a stand-still near the venue entrance for about half an hour before law enforcement took control of the situation and began safely directing traffic.

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