Over the weekend, George Strait made a triumphant return to the stage in Fort Worth, Texas, his first show in the city since 1982 (really, it’s been that long!). When it was announced that Strait would play the city’s brand-new Dickies Arena in Fort Worth on Friday (Nov. 22), tickets sold out in literal seconds; in fact, so many fans wanted tickets that Strait ended up adding a second show on Saturday night (Nov. 23) just to meet the demand.
The two shows were also Strait’s first in the Dallas-Fort Worth area since 2014, when he played the final date of his The Cowboy Rides Away tour at AT&T Stadium in Arlington alongside an all-star lineup of artists (Miranda Lambert, Eric Church, Vince Gill, Sheryl Crow and Jason Aldean, among others). Just as in 2014, Strait was joined by opening act and Texas favorites Asleep at the Wheel, who warmed up the crowd ahead of King George’s set.
On Saturday night, the country legend demonstrated exactly why fans were so excited to see him. During that show, these five moments proved that, more than 40 years and dozens of hits into the game, Strait is still the reigning king of country music.
Watch George Strait – Amarillo By Morning (Official Music Video) [HD] BELOW:
He always plays the hits — plenty of them!
Though the setlists varied slightly from Friday to Saturday, Strait still performed more than 25 of his greatest hits on each night, ranging from early favorites such as “Amarillo By Morning” to newly released tracks including “Cold Beer Conversation.” Having a songbook packed with 60 No. 1 songs from the past four decades, though, probably makes it a little easier to put together a stellar show.
He never misses an opportunity to give back.
At Saturday night’s show, Strait surprised the crowd by giving a Purple Heart recipient a new, mortgage-free home in collaboration with the Military Warriors Support Foundation. Before the night even started, though Strait used the giant video screens at Dickies Arena to encourage fans to participate in his Oceanfront Recovery fundraiser: Proceeds from the custom-made T-shirts will be donated to victims of Hurricane Dorian, which caused massive devastation on a number of islands in the Bahamas.
He is ridiculously good at covering the classics.
Interspersed throughout his own hits, Strait paid homage to some of his most important musical influences with a number of covers that were arguably some of the best performances of the night. His selections included Townes Van Zandt’s “Pancho and Lefty,” Tom Petty’s “You Wreck Me” and multiple Waylon Jennings songs.
There’s no better entertainer in the business.
In some ways, it’s easy to believe that Strait has been in the music business for upwards of 40 years: He’s a seamless performer who somehow sounds as good live as on record, and boasts an unmatched ability to woo a crowd. At the age of 67, though, King George still has the same energy he was bringing to his performances decades ago, and it’s just a joy to watch.
Watch All My Ex’s Live In Texas VIDEO BELOW:
There’s really nothing like hearing “All My Exes Live in Texas” in Texas.
By the time Strait’s set started to wind down on Saturday night, there was really only one glaring omission from the setlist: his iconic 1987 hit “All My Exes Live in Texas.” Fortunately, Strait returned to the stage after a quick break and gave fans the rousing rendition of the song that absolutely everyone wanted to hear.
