GEORGE STRAIT WRAPS UP HIS FINAL TOUR DATE.(AUDIO)

The final concert of George Strait’s The Cowboy Rides Away Tour Saturday night (June 7th) at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, set the record for the largest indoor concert in North America with 104,793 in attendance. The Rolling Stones‘ 1981 show at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans held the previous record at 87,500. The feat marks an increase of more than 40,000 from Strait’s show opening the facility in 2009.

Strait appeared on the stage after a warm welcoming introduction from good friend Ray Benson of opening performers Asleep at the Wheel. The King of Country appeared to be in awe of the sheer magnitude of the crowd, and after waiting for the applause to subside following his opening song “Check Yes Or No,” he addressed the crowd with his trademark grin and echoing his expression said, “I can’t tell you how excited I am to be here tonight, it’s been on my mind since we started this tour two years ago!”

Shortly after–a mere two songs in–he welcomed his first of eight special guests for the evening to the stage signifying the commencement of a historical musical journey showcasing over thirty years of Strait classics.

Some of his special guests included Alan Jackson, Eric Church, Vince Gill, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride and Sheryl Crow, among others.

“I can’t tell you how excited I am to be here tonight. It’s just been on my mind since we started this tour two years ago, and finally it’s here tonight,” said the reigning CMA and ACM Entertainer of the Year. “We broke a record for the most people, ever. Really? Why wouldn’t we, huh?”

Amidst the hits, Strait paused for a very special moment and continued his tour tradition of presenting a home as part of the Military Warriors Support Foundation (MWSF) “Homes 4 Wounded Heroes” (H4WH). Sergeant First Class Leroy Arthur Petry, a medal of honor recipient, and his wife Ashley were recognized as 51st recipients from the tour and received a million dollar home in the Dallas area.

The 2013-2014 H4WH home presentations were made possible through Strait’s longtime friend, Lieutenant General Leroy Sisco, U.S. Army (Retired). The homes made available for the program are donated to MWSF through partnerships and, as unveiled at Strait’s first 2013 show in Lubbock, Texas, were awarded to at least one service member at every tour stop on The Cowboy Rides Away Tour. In addition to the homes, all of the recipient families from the tour stops also received groceries for a year from Walmart, a flat screen television, and an entire George Strait CD collection.

In addition to the charitable contributions through H4WH, Strait also partnered with CID Entertainment to facilitate a charity auction at every 2013 and 2014 tour stop including front row Troubadour Package tickets, a meet-and-greet with Strait, and more. After the final 2014 tour stop in Dallas, the program has raised $1,325,619 for The Jenifer Strait Foundation ($239,302 in 2013 and $1,086,317 in 2014) with over 3,000 VIPs ticketholders hosted and 500 travel packages accommodated.

While he may not launch another tour, he does say he’ll perform a few shows here and there…AND King George will definitely add to his long list of hits since he re-upped with MCA Records last year to produce five more albums.

The Country Music Hall of Famer is currently climbing the country charts with his latest single, “I Got a Car.”

Complete set list for June 7th, 2014:

“Check Yes or No”
“A Fire I Can’t Put Out”
“Lovebug” with Special Guest Vince Gill
“Does Ft. Worth Ever Cross Your Mind” with Special Guest Vince Gill
“River of Love”
“Lead On”
“Fool Hearted Memory” with Special Guest Jason Aldean
“Nobody in His Right Mind Would Have Left Her” with Special Guest Jason Aldean
“Arkansas Dave”
“I Saw God Today”
“Cowboys Like Us” with Special Guest Eric Church
“Easy Come Easy Go” with Special Guest Eric Church
“The King of Breaking Hearts”
“Marina Del Rey”
“Here For A Good Time” with Special Guest Sheryl Crow
“When Did You Stop Loving Me” with Special Guest Sheryl Crow
“I Can Still Make Cheyenne”
“Drinkin’ Man”
“Jackson” with Special Guest Martina McBride
“Golden Ring” with Special Guest Martina McBride
Military Warrior Support Foundation Home Giveaway
“Give It Away”
“I Got A Car”
“A Showman’s Life” with Special Guest Faith Hill
“Let’s Fall To Pieces Together” with Special Guest Faith Hill
“I Believe”
“Blame It On Mexico”
“Amarillo By Morning” with Special Guest Alan Jackson
“Murder On Music Row” with Special Guest Alan Jackson
“The Chair”
“Give It All We Got Tonight”
“How ‘Bout Them Cowgirls” wit Special Guest Miranda Lambert
“Run” with Special Guest Miranda Lambert
“You Look So Good In Love”
“I’ll Always Remember You”
“Ocean Front Property” with Special Guest Kenny Chesney
“The Fireman” with Special Guest Kenny Chesney
“Troubadour”
“Unwound”
Encore (Strait was joined by all special guests):
“All My Ex’s Live In Texas”
“Folsom Prison Blues”
“The Cowboy Rides Away”

AUDIO: George Strait says he’s not retiring from making music.

George Strait (not retiring) OC: …anymore. :28
“It’s a retirement touring on the road, and other than that, that’s pretty much it. I’m still gonna make records. After a couple of years, I don’t know, I may take a year off, and we’ll probably do a few special events here and there. It’s not gonna be the last time I’ll ever be on stage with my band. We’re still gonna do certain things, but we’re just not going to do a structured tour anymore.”

Audio / Eric Church (George Strait memory)
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AUDIO: Eric Church recalls his favorite memory featuring George Strait music, and explains how he’s indebted to the King of Country Music.

Eric Church (George Strait memory) OC: …all music. :39
“My favorite George Strait memory – my wife and I one night, we’re both huge music fans and George Strait fans, and we sat down one night and we tried to name songs. Whether they’ve been No. 1s, Top 5s or Top 10s or our favorite song, we tried to go back and forth all night long. And before we did it, we got a bottle of Jack Daniels as we were going back and forth. You know you’ve had a successful career and you’ve made your mark when the Jack ran out long before we’d even covered a third of the songs that had impacted our lives from George. I think there’s a reason he’s called King George. I am a fan, and I’ll always be a fan. I’m indebted to the impact that he’s made on my music and on all music.”