In September of 2012, the King of Country Music, George Strait, announced his final two-year U.S. jaunt, The Cowboy Rides Away Tour, with
21 dates in 2013 and a similar schedule expected for 2014. Last night, Strait performed his final show of the year to a sold-out capacity crowd at the Alamodome in his hometown of San Antonio, Texas with special guests Martina McBride and Miranda Lambert--breaking his own attendance record previously set in 2010.
Strait opened revealing, "I've been thinking about this show all month long, and I have to admit, I was a litte nervous...but I'm not anymore!" The King then played for over two hours on a rotating stage in the center of the Alamodome.
Partway through the show (set list below) Strait broke stride after he performed one of his 60 No. 1’s, "River Of Love,” and introduced United States Marine Corps Staff Sergeant / E-6 Jose Sanchez to a captivated audience. Sanchez--with his wife Angela--was then recognized as the 339th recipient of the Military Warriors Support Foundation’s (MWSF) “Homes 4 Wounded Heroes” (H4WH) program. Then, in celebration of the last tour stop of 2013, Strait recognized the Faulkenberry family on stage—U.S. Army SFC John Faulkenberry with wife Sarah—as the final awardees (340th recipient through the overall program; 23rd of the tour) to receive a key directly from Strait. Both families received homes in the San Antonio area.
The 2013 H4WH home presentations were made possible through Strait’s longtime friend, Lieutenant General Leroy Sisco, U.S. Army (Retired) who shares, “Our foundation is thrilled at this opportunity to work with such an incredible patriot as George Strait and with his help we have helped change the lives of 23 heroes and their families by awarding 100% mortgage-free homes on ‘The Cowboy Rides Away’ tour.” The homes made available for the program are donated to MWSF through partnerships and, as unveiled at Strait’s first 2013 show in Lubbock, were awarded to at least one service member at every tour stop on The Cowboy Rides Away Tour.
In addition to the homes, all the families presented homes from Strait and H4WH also received groceries for a year from Walmart, a flat screen television, and Strait's CD collection.
In addition to the charitable contributions through H4WH, Strait also partnered with CID Entertainment to facilitate a charity auction at every 2013 tour stop including front row Troubadour Package tickets, a meet-and-greet with Strait, and more. After the final 2013 tour stop in San Antonio, the program has raised $239,000 for The Jenifer Strait Foundation. Additionally, CID Entertainment abetted sales of 7,777 VIP tickets with San Antonio including a travel package with over 250 participating fans.
Clearly fans can't get enough of the King as Strait recently celebrated his 60th No. 1 single, “Give It All We Got Tonight” from his chart-topping debut, Love Is Everything, making him the first ever artist to notch 60 No. 1 MediaBase singles in any genre. The New York Times touts that on Love, “he sings with a pulpy richness” and Los Angeles Times proclaims his 40th studio album is “carefully rendered and unabashed in its optimism, it's as personal as anything Strait has ever recorded.”
For more information on MWSF, please visit www.militarywarriors.org.
Martina McBride San Antonio, Texas June 1, 2013 Set List:
“When God-Fearin’ Women Get The Blues”
“Wild Angels”
“Whatcha Gonna Do”
“I’m Gonna Love You Through It”
“Anyway”
“(I Never Promised You A) Rose Garden”
“Today I Started Lovin’ You”
“First Cut Is The Deepest” and “Free Fallin’” medley
“King Of The Road”
“Love’s The Only House”
“This One’s For The Girls”
“Where Would You Be”
“A Broken Wing”
“Independence Day”
Miranda Lambert San Antonio, Texas June 1, 2013 Set List:
“Fastest Girl In Town”
“Just Like You, Only Prettier”
“World Goes Round”
“Heart Like Mine”
“New Strings”
“Baggage Claim”
“Traveling Band”
“Over You”
“Sin For A Sin”
“Mama’s Broken Heart”
“Famous In A Small Town”
“Get Back”
“Kerosene”
“All Kinds Of Kinds”
“House That Built Me”
“White Liar”
“Gunpowder & Lead”
George Strait San Antonio, Texas June 1, 2013 Set List:
“Here For A Good Time”
“Ocean Front Property”
“Check Yes Or No”
“I Saw God Today”
“Drinkin’ Man”
“Love’s Gonna Make It”
“Arkansas Dave”
“They Call Me The Fireman”
“Jackson” and “Ring Of Fire” with Martina McBride
“Blame It On Mexico”
“80 Proof Bottle Of Tear Stopper”
“Honky Tonk Crazy”
“Marina Del Rey”
"King Of Broken Hearts"
"Where The Sidewalk Ends"
“The Chair”
“River Of Love”
“Give It Away”
“How ‘Bout Them Cowgirls”
“Amarillo By Morning”
“Give It All We Got Tonight”
“I’ll Always Remember You”
“Troubadour”
“Unwound”
Encore:
“Same Kind Of Crazy”
“All My Ex’s Live In Texas”
“Folsom Prison Blues”
“Cowboy Rides Away”
2013 The Cowboy Rides Away tour stops included the following:
Jan 18 | United Spirit Arena | Lubbock, Texas
Jan 19 | Chesapeake Energy Arena | Oklahoma City, Okla.
Jan 25 | EnergySolutions Arena | Salt Lake City, Utah
Jan 26 | Idaho Center | Nampa, Idaho
Jan 31 | Sleep Train Arena | Sacramento, Calif.
Feb 1 | SaveMart Center | Fresno, Calif.
Feb 2 | MGM Grand Garden Arena | Las Vegas, Nev.
Feb 15 | Xcel Energy Center | St. Paul, Minn.
Feb 16 | Alerus Center | Grand Forks, N.D.
Feb 22 | First Niagara Center | Buffalo, N.Y.
Feb 23 | XL Center | Hartford, Conn.
Mar 1 | Thompson-Boling Arena | Knoxville, Tenn.
Mar 2 | Rupp Arena | Lexington, Ky.
Mar 17 | Reliant Stadium | Houston, Texas
Mar 22 | Bi-Lo Center | Greenville, S.C.
Mar 23 | Greensboro Coliseum | Greensboro, N.C.
Apr 5 | The Pit | Albuquerque, N.M.
Apr 6 | Pan American Center | Las Cruces, N.M.
Apr 12 | Verizon Arena | N. Little Rock, Ark.
Apr 13 | New Orleans Arena | New Orleans, La.
Jun 1 | Alamodome | San Antonio, Texas
Media Contacts for George Strait:
Essential Broadcast Media
Ebie McFarland / Leigh Parr
(615) 327-3259
MCA Nashville
Taryn Pray
(615) 524-7516
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