At sixty years old, it’s hard to believe that country superstar George Strait is willing to give up touring. The singer still sounds and looks great, and if the reception from the packed arena in Buffalo, NY, was any indication, he could continue touring as long as he likes.
The evening began with a wonderful set from Martina McBride, whose version of “A Broken Wing” was absolutely breathtaking. There are few performers that could share the stage with George Strait and manage to give a standout performance. McBride was well-suited for the task.
In spite of the stellar performance from McBride, the evening belonged to George Strait. Strait is unlike any performer today. He comes from a time when the music was the centerpiece of the show. He speaks to the audience as if they’re in his living room, and his band looks like a group of friends that have dropped by for a jam session.
Strait’s thirty plus song set touched on his entire career and included a few well-placed tributes to country music legends. Opening act Martina McBride joined Strait on “Jackson” and “Golden Ring.” To say that their duets were wonderful tributes to the original performers of the songs would be a gross understatement. The duet of McBride and Strait proved to be one of the evening’s many highlights.
The set itself was very well-constructed and the entire show built towards the climactic last half hour of the performance. By the time Strait got to “Amarillo by Morning,” the band was in full gear and the level of performance was spellbinding.
Perhaps it was the emotions tied to the fact that it’s Strait’s farewell tour, but the emotion in the room was electrifying. When Strait returned for the encores, it was like the ending of a great cowboy movie where the star rides triumphantly off into the sunset. And could there be a more emotional farewell than “The Cowboy Rides Away?” Especially with the lyrics, “Oh the last goodbye’s the hardest one to say. This is where the cowboy rides away.”
George Strait Set List:
Here for a Good Time
Ocean Front Property
Check Yes or No
I Saw God Today
Drinkin’ Man
A Showman’s Life
Love’s Gonna Make It Alright
Arkansas Dave
Jackson (Johnny Cash & June Carter cover) (with Martina McBride)
Golden Ring (George Jones & Tammy Wynette cover) (with Martina McBride)
Blame It On Mexico
Honky Tonk Crazy
80 Proof Bottle of Tear Stopper
Her Goodbye Hit Me in the Heart
Marina Del Rey
A Fire I Can’t Put Out
The King of Broken Hearts
Where the Sidewalk Ends
Give It Away
The Chair
How Bout’ Them Cowgirls
Stars on the Water
Amarillo By Morning
I’ll Always Remember You
Give It All We Got Tonight
Troubadour
Unwound
Encore:
Same Kind Of Crazy
All My Ex’s Live in Texas
Folsom Prison Blues (Johnny Cash cover)
The Cowboy Rides Away
Martina McBride Set List:
When God-Fearin‘ Women Get the Blues
Wild Angels
My Baby Loves Me (The Way That I Am)
Summer of Love
Teenage Daughters
I’m Gonna Love You Through It
Anyway
Blessed
(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden (Lynn Anderson cover) The First Cut Is the Deepest/ Free Fallin’ (Rod Stewart/Tom Petty covers)
King of the Road (Roger Miller cover)
Love’s the Only House
A Broken Wing
Independence Day (The Way That I Am)
George Strait photos by Gus Griesinger and Martina McBride photos by J. Ritz.
We would like to thank Leigh Parr from EB Media for the photo pass for the show.
