My mom's always wanted to see George Strait, but never wanted to pay up or always asked my dad if he wanted to go(He'd say 'No,' but if she bought the tickets he would have went...). So when they announced a date for Columbia, I figured what the hey, its George Strait, even if it meant having to sit through Reba's set...
Getting there was a hoot as my sinuses were acting up and with little sleep. Plus my car had been overheating at times lately and the drive on I-70 and setting in long traffic lines on Stadium exasperated the problem. So after Quizno's a quick detour to Wal-Mart for coolant happened before we headed to Mizzou Arena. We got in and seated with about 10 minutes before start time.
When I bought my tickets I thought it was going to be end stage and was going to lined up next to the stage, but they had a diamond shape and I figured I might be staring at George Strait's ass all night...Thankfully the performers were rotating singing spots all night.
And this being a country concert, it started on time at 7 PM when the lights went out and LeeAnn Womack came out. I'd seen her before, being the middle act when I saw Toby Keith at UMB Bank Pavilion in St. Louis in '05. Here she came out in her five inch heels and had to helped up and off the stage every time and did a compact eight song 30 minute set. Only main song of her's she didn't do that I like was He Oughta Know That By Now... Set List gleamed from another concert date
Buckaroo
You've Got to Talk to Me
San Antonio Rose
Last Call
I May Hate Myself in the Morning
I'll Think Of A Reason Later
I Hope You Dance
Ashes by Now
Then after LeeAnn's set, a quick set change and Reba was out by 7:45. This was the part of the show I was telling my mom we should get hammered drunk too to make it more interesting. The first few songs she wasn't bad and I guess I knew more of her songs than I realized, but halfway though her set it started to drag. She ended up doing 19 songs I think and playing for 90 minutes. Womack returned to duet on Does He Love You? with McEntire which helped draw some of my attention back.
Right towards the end before she did I'm A Survivor the theme to her television show, the actress/comedian, Melissa Peterman that played on there with her came out and did a comedy bit that seemed to go on forever. It had it's funny moments, but does she not have anything else on her plate? The bad part was it was probably the most unique part out of all three acts though I know each city has variations on the references. She name dropped Harpo's, Club Vogue and the "M-I-Z" "Z-O-U" call and response to the sheep...oops I mean fans in the audiences...
After her main set she came back for an encore out of a Mini-taxi and a wardrobe change to play Fancy. Full assumed set list
Can't Even Get The Blues
The Fear Of Being Alone
Strange
The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia
Is There Life Out There
If I Were A Boy
The Bridge You Burn
Fallin' Out Of Love
Nothing To Lose
Somebody Should Leave/For My Broken Heart
Does He Love You?
I Want A Cowboy
When You Have a Child
Consider Me Gone
Why Haven't I Heard From You
Because Of You
I'm A Survivor
Turn On The Radio
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Fancy
Then following a 20 minute or so set change, it was finally time for King George and his Ace in the Hole band. He was quite the contrast to Womack and McEntire and almost 95% of every other performer out there. He doesn't play up the crowd or jump around like a total idiot, other than a few waves and finger pointings.
The downside is he is almost a jukebox on stage, playing song for song the way they were recorded. That's not always a bad thing, but a few variations on lyrics or add-ons are nice, or letting the band stretch out and jam a little bit. I'm not even talking about Neil Young 10 min solos here.
But as I said he did give the fans their money's worth 31 songs in almost 2 hours. With 57 #1 songs(that's not even counting his other hits) I knew he couldn't play everything. The only ones i was disappointed to not get were Write This Down and Murder on Music Row. The only surprising omission was Love Without End, Amen. But I got my favorites Blue Clear Sky and Give it Away, plus other favorites Ocean Front Property, I Hate Everything and his cover version of Merle Haggard's Seashores of Old Mexico. Plus his signature song Amarillo By Morning, one of those songs not a #1.
Some of the other highlights was Check Yes or No, probably the song that got the audience going the most. And Arkansas Dave a song written by son and on his latest album wasn't as bad as I thought it would have been. He played seven songs by count off of Twang, his latest album.
He came back out for a four song encore, featuring a couple of hits in Heartland and All My Exes, a cover of Folsom Prison Blues, with a neat "gunshot" sound with turning up the volume on snare drum with some reverb while drowning everything else out and the fitting The Cowboy Rides Away to close out the night.
Overall a good show, nothing fancy (at least on Geroge's part) and well worth the money seeing a legendary performer in concert.
Set List
Twang
Ocean Front Property
Honk If You Honky Tonk
I Can Still Make Cheyenne
I Hate Everything
Wrapped
Run
The Seashores of Old Mexico
Check Yes Or No
The Fireman
Same Kind Of Crazy
Blue Clear Sky
A Fire I Can't Put Out
Arkansas Dave
Where Have I Been All My Life
How 'Bout Them Cowgirls?
The Breath You Take
River Of Love
The Chair
I Gotta Get to You
I Cross My Heart
I Saw God Today
Amarillo By Morning
Living For The Night
Give It Away
Troubadour
Unwound
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Heartland
All My Ex's Live In Texas
Folsom Prison Blues
The Cowboy Rides Away
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