When I made the resolution at the beginning of 2018 to attend and write about more live shows and emphasize the importance of live music, especially in the current climate of streaming where tours, rather than album sales, support artists, I already knew I would be seeing King George Strait in June. It seems fitting that this post marks the halfway point of the goal of going to twelve shows this year because the midway point should be special, and George Strait certainly qualifies. Aside from being one of the biggest names in the history of the genre and not touring regularly after 2014, Strait is my favorite artist. I am working to own all of his albums, and when I tried to write a reflection on one earlier this week in preparation for this show, I eventually threw my hands up in surrender, unable to select something because of the sheer amount of quality material he has produced over his thirty-seven-year career. He was one artist my grandma, my mom, and I could all agree on, speaking to the resonance his music has had with several generations. I had seen him live once before, on the tour just before his massive farewell one, and although it was a great show, I had it pretty effectively ruined by the company, as my ex-husband, to whom I was then engaged, hated every moment of being there and made it known. Don’t go to shows with people like this if you can help it, it’s better to go alone if you must. Anyway, when my mom announced to me last October that he would be playing two shows in June in Tulsa, I jumped at the chance to right this wrong.

And after seeing King George on Friday (6/1), I don’t know if my words can possibly do it justice. I’ve seen some incredible stuff during this 2018 concert series–I’ve had the pleasure of watching Colter Wall silence crowds with his voice in a small, intimate setting, I’ve seen Shane Smith & the Saints absolutely kill it live for the third time in two years, and I’ve witnessed Jason Isbell take songs like “Speed Trap Town” and “If we Were Vampires” and somehow translate them into unforgettable moments in a live setting. I’ve had the great fortune to have not seen a bad show yet this year, and yet all of it somehow pales in comparison to what George Strait did Friday night.

I gave credit to Colter wall for doing the best closing number so far in 2018, and George strait gets credit for the best opening. He was introduced by Waylon Jennings’ “are You sure Hank Done it This way,” followed by the entrance of the ace in the Hole Band, who broke out into “deep in the Heart of Texas” while Strait came out onto the stage. It was nearly seven minutes after the lights went down that George Strait actually began singing, with the opener being “write This down.”

From there, he gave us two hours of music and thirty-one songs, and it struck me that on Saturday, he could easily choose thirty-one entirely different ones to perform for that crowd without resorting to singing anything obscure. That’s just ridiculous and speaks for itself. I don’t usually do this, but I will list the ones he performed below this post. I did notice that it was pretty well-balanced between older and newer material, with perhaps a bit too much focus on the more modern stuff. I can’t begin to guess how you decide which songs to play with a discography like this, though; do you just flip some coins, or roll some dice, or what? Although he could have done all #1 hits, I was impressed by the fact he included lesser-known songs as well, like “Cold Beer Conversation” and “Take me to Texas.” He also worked in tributes to other artists, singing “The Old Violin” from Johnny Paycheck and following the trend of so many right now by doing a couple for Merle Haggard, “Sing Me Back Home” and “are the Good Times Really Over.” I need him to record “Are the Good Times Really Over” now; that was one of the highlights of the whole thing. During the encore, he also did two Bob Wills numbers with the appropriate “Take me Back to Tulsa” and “Milk cow Blues.” Asleep at the Wheel had been the opener for Strait, and they also paid tribute to Wills, first with Waylon’s “Bob Wills is Still the King” and then with Wills’ song “New San Antonio Rose.” I had the feeling listening to all these songs that these may be some of the last artists playing Bob Wills music on big stages like this, and how important that is for the preservation of country music’s history–lots of people have heard of Merle Haggard, and many are paying tribute to him, but to hear music by Bob Wills in a sold-out arena is special because many younger audiences have likely never heard of him or his songs. With George strait especially, this is bridging the gaps between generations once again, as all these contemporary listeners who found his music in the last decade of his career are being exposed to older artists like this. It’s a great reflection of country music paying homage to its roots.

As for the highlights in Strait’s discography, it’s hard to single any out because they’re all such great songs, and George is a brilliant live performer. “I Can Still Make Cheyenne” stood out for me because that’s always been my favorite of his songs, and he didn’t sing that when I saw him before. “Baby blue” was another one that especially stood out, as well as “Troubadour.” “Amarillo by Morning” obviously qualifies here, and “All my Exes Live in Texas,” though not one of my favorite Strait songs, is just incredibly fun in a live setting. Except for a couple songs, he sounded excellent vocally, and also, unlike so many shows I’ve seen, this one wasn’t so loud that I couldn’t hear or understand the words. My dad, who has some significant hearing loss, also commented that he could actually understand George, so I know it’s not just a case of me being really familiar with these songs.

George noted that there would be something special happening that night besides the music. That came when he called up a soldier and a representative from the Military Warriors Support Organization and presented the key to a mortgage-free home to the veteran, who was wounded and has experienced TBI and PTSD. The Military warriors Support Organization seeks to provide housing and financial support to soldiers who have suffered severe injuries during combat, and we were told that this is the sixty-first home given by Strait, who is responsible for contributing fourteen million dollars to this effort. It was refreshing to see the crowd stand and cheer for a soldier with the same enthusiasm they gave to George Strait, and it seemed necessary to include that in this piece. For more information about this organization, you can go to MilitaryWarriors.org.

I feel like this goes without saying, but if you do get one of these chances like I had to see George Strait live, please do it. As a music fan, this is one of the most memorable concerts I’ve ever gotten to attend, and it’s an honor to be able to write about it here and have this outlet to share it with you all.

Best Live Songs: “Baby Blue,” “Are the Good Times Really Over,” “I Can still Make Cheyenne,” “Amarillo by Morning,” “Troubadour,” “All my Exes Live in Texas”

Setlist

1. “Deep in the Heart of Texas”
2. “Write This Down”
3. “Oceanfront Property”
4. “Cold Beer Conversation”
5. “Wrapped”
6. “Baby Blue”
7. “Run”
8. “She’ll Leave You With a Smile”
9. “The Old Violin”
10.”Kicked Outta Country”
11. “I cross my Heart”
12. “Arkansas Dave”
13. “The Man in Love With You”
14. “Check Yes or No”
15. “Sing me Back Home”
16. “Are the Good Times Really Over”
17. “Here for a Good Time”
18. “Take me to Texas”
19. “Give it all we Got Tonight”
20. “Give it Away”
21. “You Look so Good in Love”
22. “It Just Comes Natural”
23. “I Can Still Make Cheyenne”
24. “Amarillo by Morning”
25. “The Chair”
26. “Troubadour”
27. “Unwound”

Encore
28. “The Fireman”
29. “All my Exes Live in Texas”
30. “Take me Back to Tulsa”
31. “Milk Cow Blues”
32. “The Cowboy Rides Away”