Ejected Tim McGraw Fan Elicits Pathos
While there’s no denying the sheer appeal of Tim McGraw, in tight cowboy jeans and cute-but-manly tank top, hauling a a wrongdoer up on stage and nearly delivering a beat-down in the name of chivalry, it would be unfair to ignore the other side of the story. CMT has an interview with the guy on the receiving end of McGraw’s testosterone, and he claims it was all just a big misunderstanding.
“I had a third row seat I paid $120 for,” Nirschl told CMT.com during an interview Thursday (June 26). “And I was just making my way up to my seat because I wanted to be up there when he started ‘Indian Outlaw.’ I was getting shoved up against some empty seats, and I may have pushed some people when I was trying to get my balance. But I didn’t grab nobody’s hair, and I didn’t hit nobody. I’m the nicest guy you’ll ever meet.”
What happened next is still confusing to Nirschl. His cowboy hat fell off in the chaos, so he bent down to grab it.
“Next thing I knew, Tim was saying, ‘Get rid of this guy,'” he recalled. “But when he reached out for my hand, I thought he recognized me, because I’ve been to about six of his shows. I really thought he wanted to pull me onstage for some dancing and stuff.”
So this guy is either a manipulative bastard, or one of the most tragic souls on earth. He thought Tim McGraw wanted to dance with him? It’s almost enough to offset the dubiousness of his “I’m the nicest guy you’ll ever meet” comment.
He added that while he’d had a couple beers, he was not drunk.
“If I was, I wouldn’t remember any of this,” Nirschl said. “But I remember it all.”
After security escorted Nirschl backstage in a headlock, he had to tell his story to six law enforcement officers waiting for him. No charges have been filed in connection with the incident.
“I showed them my ticket, but they still made me leave,” he said.
Nirschl says he’ll go back when McGraw’s next tour stops near Seattle.
“I still like the guy,” he said. “The music’s still great. I just don’t know why he wanted to punch me.”
Well, judging from his difficulty getting up on stage and excessive and inappropriate hat waving in the video, he just might have meant “a couple of beers” in common Bubba parlance (i.e. he was drunk, y’all), which either makes the whole thing more satisfying or more pathetic. Either way, it’s nice of Mr. Nirschl to let bygones be bygones. Maybe at the next concert he and Tim can do a romantic two-step.
