On June 7, 2014, country music icon and classic Texas cowboy George Strait filled AT&T Stadium in Arlington with fans and an all-star cast of musicians for his Cowboy Rides Away concert. He billed the show as a grand farewell to his days of regular touring.
Modern country headliners such as Kenny Chesney, Jason Aldean, Eric Church and Miranda Lambert joined forces with older hit-makers including Vince Gill, Alan Jackson and Faith Hill to run down over 40 instantly recognizable smash hits from Strait’s unparalleled catalog. The sheer magnitude of the event lent it an air of finality — though, as it turns out, it wasn’t the last chapter.
In the five years since, Strait’s name has remained front and center. Album releases, a new tequila brand and — yes, indeed — plenty of live performances have done more than soothe those who feared Strait would disappear from the spotlight.
Announced nearly a year ago, Strait’s two upcoming performances at the new Dickies Arena in Fort Worth mark the first shows he’s done in North Texas since 2014. Let’s take a look at what the man with dozens of gold records and No. 1 singles has been up to since his last D-FW concert.
Strait Tequila Night
In 2016, King George joined the Hollywood likes of Justin Timberlake and George Clooney as the backer of a high-end tequila brand. The pricey liquor on which Strait left his stamp of approval, Código, has seen its profile rise significantly in the past couple of years thanks to its association with him. Late last year, Strait released a jaunty little ode titled — you guessed it — “Código.” (The brand is in good company now along with Jack Daniel’s, Jose Cuervo and Jim Beam, all liquors that have received their due from other country crooners.) Since Strait teamed up with Código, the brand’s distribution has broadened to all 48 contiguous states.
Big in Vegas
In spring 2016, Strait dipped his toes in the water that most A-list performers are at least wading in these days. He became a Las Vegas showman. Since then, he’s played a handful of shows each year at Vegas’ 20,000-seat T-Mobile Arena. His forays into Sin City mean he now shares rarefied air with Elvis, Wayne Newton, Lady Gaga, David Copperfield and Carrot Top.
Troubadour
If you squint really hard, you can see how Strait slowed down his live concert schedule. But his album release schedule? Not so much, partner.
Since the summer of 2014, he’s released a pair of studio LPs, the Strait Out of the Box: Part Two set, a Christmas album and, of course, a live record documenting the marathon Cowboy Rides Away concert in Arlington.
Strait’s latest record and his 30th career studio LP, Honky Tonk Time Machine, was roundly praised by critics for its adherence to the time-honored neo-country style and effortless twang for which the artist has become known. Made up almost completely of songs co-written by Strait and his son Bubba, the record debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart upon its release in March.
Amazingly, Strait had never recorded a duet with Willie Nelson. “Sing One With Willie” closes out Honky Tonk Time Machine, and it’s got almost too much Texas country goodness for one tune to contain, if we’re being honest.
Details
Nov. 22 and 23 at 8 p.m. Dickies Arena, 1911 Montgomery St., Fort Worth. Sold out on Nov. 22; remaining tickets for Nov. 23 are $2,250. (Resale tickets may be available.) ticketmaster.com.
