George Strait captivates at opening sold-out show in Las Vegas

GEORGE STRAIT LAUNCHES STRAIT TO VEGAS EXCLUSIVE CONCERT SERIES WITH A RECORD-SETTING SOLD-OUT OPENING NIGHT AT T-MOBILE ARENA

The “King of Country Music” captivates 19,222 concertgoers during his opening night at new Las Vegas arena 

George Strait performs during the first of his "Strait to Vegas" shows
at T-Mobile Arena on April 22, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
 (Source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images North America)

LAS VEGAS, Nev. (April 23, 2016) – On a balmy Friday night in Las Vegas, the heat only added to the excitement as George Strait packed the new T-Mobile Arena and captivated a record-setting 19,222 fans during the opening night of his Strait to Vegas exclusive concert series. 

George Strait performing at T-Mobile Arena on
Friday, April 22 on opening night of "Strait to Vegas."
Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images
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With his Resistol cowboy hat on his head, his signature Wrangler shirt and denim with a well-worn acoustic guitar and the expert Ace in the Hole Band backing him up, Strait proved once again that he is the undeniable “King of Country Music” and consummate entertainer. 

As he churned through hit after hit, he lived up to the Las Vegas Review Journal's  bolstering observation, “George Strait is someone you can legitimately say is in a league of his own.”

“I’ve missed you guys and I’m looking forward to being here a few more nights this year,” Strait told the crowd early on in the night before performing for over two hours. 

In addition to playing a selection of his illustrious 60 career No.1’s including “Give It All We’ve Got Tonight,” “Ocean Front Property,” “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” and more, Strait also took a moment to pay tribute to Merle Haggard who was not only an icon for Strait but also a friend. “We’ll never get to hear Merle play live again, but his music will live on forever,” Strait said before performing a medley consisting of “Mama Tried,” “Fightin’ Side of Me,” and “My Life’s Been Grand,” with Strait pausing at the end in remembrance.

GRAMMY, CMA and ACM Award-winning singer/songwriter Kacey Musgraves opened the show.

Kacey Musgraves walks to the stage with a miniature horse named Mamacita
as she opens for George Strait during the first of his "Strait to Vegas" shows at
T-Mobile Arena on April 22, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
(Source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images North America)

Kacey Musgraves opens for George Strait during the first of his "Strait to Vegas" shows
at T-Mobile Arena on April 22, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
(Source: Ethan Miller/Getty Images North America)

Get ready for the Strait to Vegas Arena show in 2016 with this playlist featuring the "King Of Country" classics and selections from opener Kacey Musgraves! 

Strait first announced his plans to perform a series of select shows at T-Mobile Arena last September, immediately selling out every date in the Strait to Vegas concert series for 2016 and 2017. Musgraves will join Strait as support for all 2016 dates.

Kacey may have opened for the "King Of Country" but she did actually meet UK Royalty when she performed at the Royal Variety Performance at the Albert Hall, London on November 13, 2015 and got to meet Prince Harry (Image)

The 27-year-old Texan played her first UK headline gig at Shepherd’s Bush Empire on June 6, 2014 then on Nov 18, 2015 she became the first country musician to sell out London’s grandest music hall the Royal Albert Hall in 12 years (Image). She tweeted : It's really happenin', y'all! I feel like a Spice Girl. Tonight! ROYAL ALBERT HALL. SOLD OUT!  I can't believe we played a sold out Royal Albert Hall. A crowd as big as my hometown.  Thank you so much, London.

She was one of the stars of the C2C Country to Country 2016 Festival on March 13, 2016 at London’s North Greenwich Arena (aka the iconic O2 Arena) where she received a CMA International Artist Achievement Award

Upcoming Strait to Vegas dates are as follows, with more likely to be added in 2017:

Saturday, April 23, 2016
Friday, Sept. 9, 2016
Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016
Friday, Dec. 2, 2016
Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016
Friday, Feb. 17, 2017
Saturday, Feb. 18, 2017


For more information, visit www.straittovegas.com.

George Strait performing at T-Mobile Arena on 
Friday, April 22 on opening night of "Strait to Vegas."
Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images

About George Strait
George Strait is the undeniable “King of Country Music.” His music career spans more than 30 years; includes 60 No. 1 singles, more than any other artist in any genre; and boasts 33 platinum or multi-platinum-selling albums, more than any country artist and third across all genres behind only The Beatles and Elvis Presley. Strait is the only act in history to have a Top 10 hit every year for over three decades and has sold nearly 70 million albums and earned more than 60 major entertainment industry awards.

Strait, whose name has become synonymous with “real country” since his 1981 debut, was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2006. He has since released five more albums, including the GRAMMY Award-winning Troubadour and his latest chart-topping release, Cold Beer Conversation. In 2014, he shattered the North American indoor concert attendance record by drawing 104,793 concertgoers to his The Cowboy Rides Away Tour finale at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. Strait will perform six sold-out shows at the Las Vegas Arena in 2016 as part of his “Strait to Vegas” exclusive concert series, which has been extended into 2017 due to overwhelming demand.

About T-Mobile Arena
T-Mobile Arena is a privately funded $375 million indoor arena that opened in Spring 2016.  The 20,000-seat venue, located west of the Las Vegas Strip between New York-New York and Monte Carlo, is expected to host more than 100 events annually, including UFC, boxing, hockey, basketball and other sporting events, major headline entertainment, awards shows, family shows and special events.  Las Vegas’ newest landmark will feature 50 luxury suites, more than two dozen private loge boxes, complete broadcast facilities, and other specially designed exclusive hospitality offerings and fan amenities destined to create a guest experience second to none.  The Arena has partnered with international iconic brands Coca-Cola, Schneider Electric and Toshiba American Business Solutions Inc., as the venue’s first “Founding Partners.” These Founding Partners will introduce and brand signature fan initiatives, displays and interactive spaces including Toshiba Plaza, an adjacent two-acre entertainment space which will feature a performance stage, a variety of video screens and other interactive content and display areas.  Industry-leading architect Populous designed the venue to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s standards for LEED® Gold Certification. T-Mobile Arena is a joint venture between AEG and MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM).  For more information, visit the T-Mobile Arena website at www.arenalasvegas.com.