The King, indeed.
Last night, country music legend George Strait held court at Texas A&M University’s Kyle Field, in College Station, Texas, and to say it was quite the crowd would be the understatement of the century.
With support from fellow Texas natives Parker McCollum and Catie Offerman, George filled that college football stadium with 110,905 people… just the largest ticketed crowd in United States history. The King’s crowd bests the previously held record by The Grateful Dead, who hosted 107,019 Deadheads in 1977 at Raceway Park in New Jersey.
The crowd also breaks the Kyle Field attendance record (a 2014 game against Ole Miss), and Strait also holds the record for largest indoor ticketed concert attendance in North America with 104,793 fans at AT&T Stadium for The Cowboy Rides Away Tour in June 2014.
George stepped to the mic and thanked the crowd for coming out:
“It’s so good to be here with Catie Offerman and Parker McCollum – let’s have another big round of applause for those two. And happy birthday Parker, my gosh, what a day, what a place to spend your birthday, right?
Man, I wanna whoop so bad, but you can’t whoop if you’re not/you don’t go to school here? Can I whoop, one time, just once? ‘Whoop!’”
The Aggie crowd exploded.
“I had to do it – my son said it’s okay if I did that, he graduated from A&M. We got a lot of songs to play for y’all today/tonight. What a beautiful night, too, right?
We got some new stuff that we’re gonna do also, we got a new album … out in September called Cowboys And Dreamers, so we got some stuff from that we’re gonna play from that for you also and we got a really special thing we’re gonna do for you, so alright, what are we here for?”
Strait also took the time to allow Retired Lt. General Leroy Sisco to present his 118th home to hero honor to Sgt. Tiffany Baker.
What a scene:
George Strait Announces ‘Cowboys & Dreamers’
Strait is gearing up to release his 31st studio album called Cowboys and Dreamers this September, and it will also include a duet with Chris Stapleton called “Honky Tonk Hall Of Fame,” and features writers like longtime collaborators Dean Dillon, Monty Criswell and even George’s son, Bubba Strait.
George dedicated the album to his longtime manager Erv Woolsey, longtime fiddle player Gene Elders and longtime road manager Tom Foote, all of whom passed away this year and were close friends of his:
“I’m dedicating this record to my longtime manager and friend Erv Woolsey and my longtime fiddle player and friend Gene Elders (a player on four of these tracks), who we lost on the same day, March 20, 2024, as well as my longtime friend and road manager Tom Foote, who we lost on April 29, 2024.
I will never forget all of the good times we had together. May they rest in peace with our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Texas icon released the lead single “MIA Down in MIA” as well as another titled “The Little Things” this past Friday
Cowboys and Dreamers features a 13-song tracklist, and is due out everywhere on September 6th. Mark your calendars… we’re in for some GREAT stuff, per the usual from The King.
Cowboys And Dreamers Tracklist:
1. Three Drinks Behind (Benjamin Gaither, Jeff Silvey and Kim Williams)
2. Cowboys And Dreamers (Jessie Jo Dillon, Keith Gattis and Bubba Strait)
3. To The Moon (Marty Brown and Steve Clark)
4. MIA Down in MIA (Adam Craig and Dean Dillon)
5. Wish I Could Say (Keith Gattis)
6. Calling From The Car (Bobby Braddock)
7. People Get Hurt Sometimes (Jim Lauderdale, Kendell Marvel and Jimmy Ritchey)
8. Honky Tonk Hall Of Fame ft. Chris Stapleton (Chris Stapleton, Jameson Clark and Timothy James)
9. The Little Things (George Strait, Monty Criswell and Bubba Strait)
10. The Book (George Strait, Dean Dillon, Jessie Jo Dillon and Bubba Strait)
11. Rent (Guy Clark and Keith Gattis)
12. Waymore’s Blues (Curtis Buck and Waylon Jennings)
13. The Journey Of Your Life (Ronnie Bowman and Troy Jones)
Strait’s 2024 Concert Calendar:
5/4 Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, IN
5/11 EverBank Stadium Jacksonville, FL
5/25 Jack Trice Stadium Ames, IA
6/1 Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC
6/8 MetLife Stadium East Rutherford, NJ
6/15 Kyle Field College Station, TX
6/29 Rice-Eccles Stadium Salt Lake City, UT
7/13 Ford Field Detroit, MI
7/20 Soldier Field Chicago, IL
12/7 Allegiant Stadium Las Vegas, NV
