George Strait Tour
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George Strait 2018 Concert Tour Opening Bands: Lyle Lovett & Robert Earl Keen.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What songs will George Strait play in concert?
Likely because George Strait has such a massive catalog of music to pull from, his later material is only sporadically represented. His most recent 2013 release, Love is Everything, garnered modest reviews and respectable sales for the classic country artist. The setlist itself only supports opening track “I Got a Car” and deeper album cut, “Give it All We Got Tonight.”
The rest of Strait’s setlist explores the depths of his career, penning 80’s country jams “You Look So Good in Love” as well as fan favorite “Marina Del Rey” from his 1982 release, Strait from the Heart. Strait seems aware that his mid-80’s releases remain the fan favorites and represent a seeming creative peak, so he slants his setlist towards these earlier albums, including a few selections from his debut Strait Country and the 1989 release, Beyond the Blue Neon.
George Strait has always respected his fellow musicians with carefully selected covers. Recent shows have found him closing with the immortal classic, “Folsom Prison Blues,” from acclaimed country legend Johnny Cash. Country fans absolutely love his work, and its placement towards the tail end of the setlist is simply perfect. Strait fills the middle of the setlist with selections from George Jones and blues/pop crossover artist, Billy Edd Wheeler.
The setlist is extensive but consistent, and you’ll notice that Strait cherry picks a song or two from all his major releases dating back to his debut in 1981.
The Fireman
Check Yes or No
Ocean Front Property
Blame It On Mexico
Marina Del Rey
Nobody In His Right Mind Would’ve Left Her
Here For A Good Time
Arkansas Dave
Lovebug
You Look So Good in Love
River Of Love
I Saw God Today
I Can Still Make Cheyenne
Drinkin’ Man
That’s What Breaking Hearts Do
Give It Away
Fool Hearted Memory
Lead On
Amarillo By Morning
The Chair
I Got a Car
I’ll Always Remember You
Give It All We Got Tonight
Troubadour
Unwound
Same Kind Of Crazy
All My Ex’s Live in Texas
Run
Folsom Prison Blues
The Cowboy Rides Away
When it is all said and done, how long is the setlist?
George Strait’s rich catalog is impressively laid out over a two hour set made up of anywhere between 30-35 songs. He doesn’t send you home feeling unsatisfied.
Are there any special guests?
George Strait is a loyalist at heart, and his music has always been perfect for duets and guests to come up onstage to join him. Martina McBride has had a lengthy history with the rock master, and she joins Strait onstage at many of the shows for renditions of a few country pop covers. This is either “Jackson” by Billy Edd Wheeler or “Golden Ring” by George Jones and Tammy Wynette. The pair plays splendidly off each other, and deeply enriched country fans will certainly take away comparisons between them and the respective country pair they are covering.
Is it true 2014 will mark the last year George Strait will tour?
George Strait will retire from full-length touring in 2014. Though he has admitted that he plans to play a few show intermittently, such as festival dates and local Omaha shows. George Strait said this on stage earlier this year: “When I first set out on the road, I thought I’d be lucky to do it five years. Well, it’s been 30 years, and I still love it. I’m not retiring though. I’m not quitting. I’ll be back, just not so often.” (World-Herald)
Who is George Straits’ current publicist and press contact?
George Strait currently works with Essential Broadcast Media. His account is handled by Ebie McFarland and Scott Stem. You can also reach out to his media contact with UMG Nashville, Leigh Parr.
Where can I find presale tickets?
George Strait’s final big tour is causing a lot of commotion, and presale tickets remain a hot commodity. The George Strait Fan Club provides fans a shot at concert tickets before the public for a yearly membership cost of $15. Other presales are being offered for the Cowboy Rides Away Tour including AMEX, venue and radio presales in select markets. For radio and venue presales, your best course of action is to signup for their mailing lists and follow them on social media. American Express card holders can visit their portal on Ticketmaster to discover more about AMEX presale opportunities.
Concert Reviews
“Strait also appeared to be having the time of his life. He smiled more than I remember in past shows, and he looks and sounds as good as ever. It makes me wonder why he’s hanging up his black cowboy hat when he’s doing so well. During the latter half of the concert, which was filled with some of his most well-known songs, the audience kept Strait on the stage by applauding and screaming like they were teenagers at an Elvis concert.” – Kevin Coffey of Omaha Go
“From the beginning, though, Strait’s easygoing presence and natural way with a song made the evening feel like a date with old friends, beginning with the confident ladies’ man in the swinging opener The Fireman, who runs all over town (allegedly) putting out the fires in women’s hearts. How ’Bout Them Cowgirls, in which the video screen featured women in the audience, might have kindled a few new fires.” – Curtis Schieber of The Dispatch
“Beyond the hushed, attentive audience — a rarity for a Friday-night country concert — the show didn’t feel like a farewell at all. His generous set list of more than 30 songs hit on various points of his career, including an extensive dip into his first three albums. That popular stretch included both singles and album cuts that had the crowd grinning, from “Blame it on Mexico” and “Her Goodbye Hit Me in the Heart” to “80 Proof Bottle of Tear Stopper” and “Honky Tonk Crazy.” – Rose Raikala of Twin Cities Pioneer Press
Tour Archive
George and Reba (2010)
Tour Opening Act: Reba McEntire
Started January 22, 2010 in Baltimore, Maryland | Ended April 10, 2010 in Des Moines, Iowa
George Strait Tour 2006
Tour Opening Acts: Miranda Lambert, Tracy Lawrence
Started January 12, 2006 in Des Moines, Iowa | Ended June 9, 2006 in Winnipeg, Minnesota
George Strait Chevy Truck Country Music Festival (2001)
Tour Opening Acts: Alan Jackson, Lee Ann Womack, Lonestar, Asleep at the Wheel
Started March 24, 2001 in Tampa, Florida | Ended June 10, 2001 in San Antonio, Texas