Gavin DeGraw in San Antonio

About Gavin DeGraw

Gavin DeGraw is a singer-songwriter who broke through in the mid-2000s with an unapologetic blend of soul, rock, and pop sensibilities. He's best known for "I Don't Want to Be," which became the theme song for One Tree Hill and basically defined a generation's soundtrack to high school drama. His music centers on emotional directness—he's not interested in obscuring what he's feeling. Songs like "Chariot" and "Follow Through" showcase his ability to build from intimate verses into anthemic choruses that hit harder than you'd expect from someone working in such a straightforward idiom. DeGraw's lived a genuinely interesting life: he busked in New York for years before getting signed, dealt with a serious bicycle accident that sidelined him for a while, and just kept writing. He's maintained a steady touring schedule and recording career without ever becoming the kind of overexposed pop star that burns out. His appeal is durable because there's no pretense to it—just a guy with a strong voice and actual things to say about love, loss, and trying to figure out who you are.

DeGraw puts real energy into live shows without relying on production gimmicks. Crowds sing along hard on the hits, but he actually holds attention during deeper cuts because his voice and guitar work are substantial. People genuinely connect with what he's doing onstage.

Known for I Don't Want to Be, Chariot, Follow Through, Belief, In Love with a Girl

Gavin DeGraw + San Antonio

Gavin DeGraw played the Majestic Theatre on May 5, 2014, with an 18-song set that ran deep into the catalog. Who's Gonna Save Us and Run Every Time were pulls that most crowds wouldn't expect, and the Billy Joel cover She's Always a Woman fit the Majestic's old-school elegance. Where You Are and Every Little Bit gave the set texture beyond the radio cuts, and the Adele cover Rumour Has It was a swing that worked. The encore closed with Leading Man into Not Over You. San Antonio's Majestic is the kind of room that makes a piano man sound like he belongs.

Gavin DeGraw in San Antonio News

• Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade returns with a spectacular lineup for its 99th edition KABB · Nov 25, 2025
• The Jonas Brothers’ Greetings From Your Hometown Tour: Complete list of guests NJArts.net · Sep 23, 2025
• Kid Rock, Jason Aldean to perform during Trump's Inauguration weekend KSAT · Jan 15, 2025
• Chris Young, Gavin DeGraw Perform ‘I Don’t Want to Be’ on ‘CMT Crossroads’ Rolling Stone · Dec 4, 2019
• Gavin DeGraw Announces Summer 2019 Tour BroadwayWorld.com · Apr 29, 2019

Live Music in San Antonio

San Antonio's live music scene runs deep, built on Tex-Mex, country, and blues heritage. The city's never been precious about genre boundaries though. A singer-songwriter with DeGraw's emotional directness and arena-rock polish fits naturally into a place that values authenticity over category. The Alamo City knows how to listen.

San Antonio road trip to see Gavin DeGraw?

Stay in Southtown, where the gallery scene and restored Victorian homes give you something real to walk through between dinner reservations at Cured, which does thoughtful Italian-influenced cooking without pretension. Catch the show, then spend the next morning at Pearl Brewery itself—the district's worth an hour of wandering. The Majestic Theatre or the Tobin Center are your likely venues depending on the tour routing. Head to the McNay Art Museum if you've got afternoon time; it's one of the better regional collections in Texas and won't feel like you're wasting daylight.