King of Country surpasses previous record
George Strait has broken his own attendance record at NRG Stadium. King performed to a crowd of 80,108 on Sunday night (Mar 17th) to close out the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. The concert also featured Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen and broke Strait’s previous record of 80,020 in 2013.
As the Texas native stepped onto his signature in-the-round stage, he greeted the crowd with a wave and a smile having been told moments before he had set a new record for a concert event at NRG Stadium. The Houston Chronicle calls Strait “a living legend among country music greats,” adding of the show, “there was energy and enthusiasm in every verse and lyric,” before further noting he is one of five entertainers to have performed in front of more than one million RODEOHOUSTON fans.
Strait kicked off the night with one of his crossover No. 1’s “Write This Down” before covering a set list spanning his 30 studio albums.
When Strait introduced the lead single “Every Little Honky Tonk Bar” from Honky Tonk Time Machine, his new album due out March 29th on longtime label home MCA Nashville, the crowd erupted, singing along from the first verse. Strait’s grandson, Harvey, also joined the troubadour on stage for a special performance of “God and Country Music.”
Strait produced his forthcoming 30th studio album alongside Chuck Ainlay and wrote eight of the 13 songs including a co-write and feature with Willie Nelson marking the first time the two have collaborated on a song. Pre-orders receive the title track, single “Every Little Honky Tonk Bar,” “Código,” “God and Country Music” and latest, “The Weight of the Badge,” now.
