Oh man, that’s a rough way for the Cowboy to ride away…
George Strait was in Nashville this weekend for two shows at Nissan Stadium, one of only six stops for the King this year with his limited touring schedule, with openers Little Big Town and Chris Stapleton.
The two-night run got off to an incredible start on Friday, when George put on an absolutely unbelievable show despite the near-100 degree temperatures that left the 71-year old’s shirt completely soaked with sweat by the end of the concert.
It was a 33-song, 2 and a half hour masterclass on incredible country music, highlighted not only by hit after #1 hit, but also some incredible covers of country classics like Merle Haggard’s “Misery and Gin” and a hair-raising duet of “Pancho & Lefty” with Chris Stapleton.
Naturally, fans were pumped for night two on Saturday.
But unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans.
The show was delayed from the beginning due to lightning that moved through the area, with a shelter-in-place finally being lifted just before the event’s scheduled 5:45 start time. But the weather cooperated, and openers Little Big Town and Chris Stapleton were able to perform their opening sets before George Strait finally took the stage around 9:00 PM (earlier than he took the stage last night, despite the delayed start).
Unfortunately, the break in the weather didn’t last long enough for the King to perform his entire set.
Shortly before 10:00, another round of heavy storms rolled through Nashville, forcing the show to stop and officials to issue yet another shelter-in-place.
But not before the King performed “Amarillo by Morning” in the pouring rain, ending it by walking off the stage and telling fans to be safe.
And just a few minutes later, it was announced that the show would not resume, with George Strait performing only 14 songs and ultimately taking the stage for just under an hour and ending over an hour and a half earlier than the show on Friday.
Tough pill to swallow for the fans who made the trip to Nashville just for the concert, and who in some cases paid thousands of dollars for tickets to an extremely rare opportunity to see George Strait in concert.
Understandably, folks were none too happy:
Absolutely ridiculous. We paid thousands of dollars to fly in and on these concert tickets. Refunds are necessary. This was poor planning. The openers should have been cut. George didn’t even play half a setlist. The storm was on the horizon for hours…..
— Aimee Roix (@aimeenicole_xo) July 30, 2023
Soooo are we getting a refund or a make up concert date????
— Casey Potter (@potterca1994) July 30, 2023
So will it be rescheduled or refunded?? He played a fourth of a show?? That’s terrible on Nissan and George Strait to not communicate that which makes it clear there’s no intention to do the right thing by everyone who bought tickets.
— Chris Templeton (@rctemp283) July 30, 2023
Pathetic. Where’s our refund?
— Paul F. Parmley (@PaulParmley) July 30, 2023
YOU’VE KNOWN ABOUT THIS ALL DAY.
WHY DIDN’T YOU PULL THE OPENERS?
YOU OWE EVERYONE A REFUND.
NEVER EVER SEEN SUCH A POORLY MANAGED EVENT.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME.
— Kristina Black (@72GymMom) July 30, 2023
Of course you can’t really blame this one on George Strait or Nissan Stadium. As I’m writing this about 45 minutes after the show was cut short, the storms are still rolling through Nashville (and scaring the crap out of my dog, but that’s another story), and images from the stadium show the amount of rain that was coming down with the lightning.
It definitely sucks that the show was cut short – and I know it’s easy for me to sit here and say, “well, it was the right call” when I got to see the full show last night. But situations like these are never easy, and there’s not a good way to rearrange the schedule even if you know there’s going to be weather in the area.
And it looks like Strait did at least alter his setlist to get some of the highlights of the show in before the storm came. Last night, “Amarillo by Morning” was at the end of the show, just a song or two before the encore, but he clearly wanted to get that one in before he was forced to get off the stage.
That’s one of the risks you take when you book – or buy tickets to – a show in an outdoor stadium.
And another reason why Nashville is looking forward to that new indoor stadium being finished here in a couple of years.
ATLive Announces Stacked Lineup Featuring George Strait, Carrie Underwood & More
ATLive is back with another kickass lineup this year.
The two-day, multi-genre concert takes place annually at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, and has some of country music’s best acts on the roster for 2023.
The event, which is scheduled for October 20th and 21st, will feature country’s finest in George Strait, Willie Nelson and Family and Carrie Underwood on Saturday night, in addition to a performance by Little Big Town.
Friday night features performances by artists across genres from mostly latin music.
Doug Roberts, vice-president of stadium events and premium sales, AMB Sports and Entertainment, says he can’t wait for fans to see the unique mixture of genres under one roof at Mercedes-Benz this fall:
“We are extremely excited to once again bring an incredible lineup of artists to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for ATLive.
The ATLive concert series has quickly become one of the can’t-miss concert events of the year and we look forward to welcoming fans of both Latin and Country music for two great nights at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in October.”
Tickets for each night go on sale Friday, July 21 at 10AM ET.
Here’s the full lineup:
Friday, October 20: Grupo Firme, J Balvin, Farruko, and Yahritza Y Su Esencia!
Saturday, October 21: George Strait, Carrie Underwood, Willie Nelson & Family, and Little Big Town
If you’re close by or want to make the trip, I don’t think it gets any better than seeing George and Willie under one roof on the same night…
