George Strait hinted at riding away and Chris Stapleton 'Outlawed' at Arizona concert

An unassuming presence dressed in his signature cowboy hat, Wranglers and boots with a button-down shirt, George Strait has never been the type of entertainer to approach a concert with the feverish intensity a guy like Garth Brooks might invest in playing to the back rows of a stadium.

Strait's more the type to stand there and focus his efforts on drawing the audience into the lyrical heart of the matter with the strength of his delivery, occasionally punctuating what he's singing with a smile that hasn’t lost its charm with age.

That’s how he got to be the King of Country Music, sending 44 songs to the top on Billboard’s country singles chart, the most of any artist in the history of the genre.

And on Saturday night, at the launch of his 2023 stadium tour in Glendale, Arizona, he took us on a ride through the eras, although it wasn't a hit, but a monologue reflecting on his final curtain call that made the biggest emotional impact.

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Playing the classics, from 'All My Ex's Live in Texas' to 'Amarillo by Morning'

There wasn’t time to dust off every No. 1 he’s ever had at State Farm Stadium, the first of only seven stadiums he plans to play in 2023 with special guest Chris Stapleton.

But fans were treated to a staggering assortment of his most iconic hits, from “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” to “Check Yes or No,” "Amarillo by Morning" and “The Chair,” in a 32-song set that ended, as it had to, with “The Cowboy Rides Away,” one of several songs that couldn’t help but feel a bit more poignant as delivered by a performer about to turn 71.

The emotional resonance of “Troubadour,” a reflective ballad that opens with “I still feel 25 most of the time,” was further underscored by photos of the artist as a young man splashed across the screen behind him.

His vocals have held up remarkably well, although there were times when they did get overpowered by the playing of his band, especially when he dipped into his lower register. But that was more a function of the mix.

Strait was backed by his Ace in the Hole Band, a trusty collection of talented players who set the tone for his performance with “Deep in the Heart of Texas,” a tip of the hat to Strait’s beloved home state and the subject of a number of the concert’s finest moments, from “Amarillo By Morning” (his personal favorite) to “All My Ex’s Live in Texas” and “Take Me to Texas.”

They reached back to his 1981 debut, “Strait Country,” for a set-closing rendition of his breakthrough hit, “Unwound,” and brought us up to date with three selections from “Honky Tonk Time Machine," his latest effort.

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Waylon Jennings, Merle Haggard and Tom Petty tunes were a welcome surprise

They also slipped in tributes to his heroes Waylon Jennings (“Waymore’s Blues”) and Merle Haggard (“Misery and Gin”) and somehow landed on perhaps the most garage-rock entry in Tom Petty's massive catalog, “You Wreck Me,” which they bashed out with requisite swagger and a smoking hot guitar lead.

Toward the end of his performance, Strait took a break from the music and had retired Lt. General Leroy Sisco come out to present a mortgage-free home to a military veteran, retired U.S. Army Staff Sgt. John R. Stapleton, a Strait tradition going back at least a decade.

Midway through the concert, he was joined by Stapleton on a cover of Townes Van Zandt’s “Pancho and Lefty” (as famously covered by Waylon & Willie) and two Stapleton songs Strait recorded (“You Don’t Know What You’re Missing” and “Love’s Gonna Make it Alright”).

It was an unexpected treat in a set with no shortage of highlights, from “The Fireman” to “Here For a Good Time" and “Ocean Front Property" — inspiring the massive singalongs you'd expect —and he dedicated "I'll Always Remember You" to the fans.

Is George Strait saying goodbye?

That last one may have been the emotional centerpiece of Strait's entire 32-song set, especially the monologue.

"I don't know how many more years I've got left to do this, but I figure a few," he said in that unhurried, conversational delivery.

"I do want you to know, though, that when I do walk off this stage for the last time and I'm all settled in, away from all this, you won't be far away. I'll still hear your screams and cheers in my mind. And I'll always remember you."

It was one of several moments in the more reflective back half of his set that had to leave a person wondering if this could be where the cowboy rides away, as Strait sang on his final song.

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Chris Stapleton remains his own distinctive brand of maverick

Stapleton’s own set more than lived up to the hype that greeted his arrival on the scene with “Traveller.” He’s the spiritual heir to the Outlaw Country movement of the ‘70s. He even has a song called “Outlaw State of Mind.” And his touring band includes a longtime Willie Nelson sideman, Mickey Raphael, on harmonica.

He tipped his signature hat to Southern Rock with a soulful reading of the genre’s most iconic anthem, “Free Bird,” forgoing the epic guitar jam to segue straight from “and this bird you cannot change” into an anthem of own device, “The Devil Named Music.”

And by that point, it was more than clear that Stapleton is destined to remain his own distinctive brand of maverick.

Highlights ranged from the Townshendesque speed-strumming brilliance and primal garage-rocking essence of an electrifying “Second One to Know” to the tortured soul of his vocals on several awe-inspiring ballads, from “Cold” and “I Was Wrong” to the song that’s destined to remain his calling card, “Tennessee Whiskey.”

Little Big Town got the party started

Little Big Town got the party started with a hit-filled  set whose highlights ranged from gospel-fueled originals that seemed hellbent on taking us all to the little white church in the lyrics to a deeply soulful reading of the Rolling Stones’ “Wild Horses.”

Their stylistic range came shining through when the rowdiness of “Stay All Night” gave way to the vulnerability Karen Fairchild brought to “Girl Crush.”

And Kimberly Schlapman put world events in their proper perspective when she said, “Across the pond, they’re coronating a new king. But right now, we are in the King’s house. Yes! King George is here.”

George Strait 2023 setlist

"Deep in the Heart of Texas"

"Wrapped"

"I Got a Car"

"The Fireman"

"How ‘Bout Them Cowgirls"

"Run"

"Here for a Good Time"

"I Can Still Make Cheyenne"

"Check Yes or No"

"Drinkin’ Man"

"Waymore’s Blues"

"The Weight of the Badge"

"Ocean Front Property"

"Nobody in His Right Mind Would’ve Left Her"

"When the Credits Roll"

"Misery and Gin"

"Pancho and Lefty"

"You Don’t Know What You’re Missing"

"Love’s Gonna Make It Alright"

"I Saw God Today"

"Every Little Honky Tonk Bar"

"The Chair"

"Give it Away"

"Amarillo By Morning"

"I’ll Always Remember You"

"Troubadour"

"Unwound"

Encore:

"Codigo"

"All My Ex’s Live in Texas"

"You Wreck Me"

"Take Me to Texas"

"The Cowboy Rides Away"

Reach the reporter at ed.masley@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4495. Follow him on Twitter @EdMasley.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Review: George Strait, Chris Stapleton concert at State Farm Stadium