I've been fortunate to have been able to catch George Strait's tour three years out of four. He didn't pass this way last year, but when he does, you can bet I'm right there the day tickets go on sale.
One of my favorite things about George Strait's shows is the center stage. I wish all artists would use a center stage. So many more fans would have the chance to see the artist's up close with this set up, but very few use it. The only ones that I've seen use the center set up are George Strait and Tim McGraw & Faith Hill, on their Soul 2 Soul tours. Then, several years ago, Shania Twain also used the center stage. We had seats in Row M, and we were in a spot where we could see mostly front view of one side of the state, and then side view of the other. The other two locations were back to us, and we had to view the many screens that were available. One thing that I notice that Tim & Faith didn't have, were the smaller screens further down so that the people on the floor could see the artists when they were on the other side of the stage. George Strait had monitors along the center ceiling so people on the floor could always see what was going on. Whoever designed his stage should design them for everyone. :)
There were two opening acts this year. Sarah Johns was first out on the stage. She has released a few singles, and her album, Big Love in a Small Town came out last year, so she wasn't a total unknown. She was dressed in jeans with holes in the knees, ala-Alan Jackson's style, and a blue-gray tank top. Her long tresses made you think of Gretchen Wilson, as her hair is very long and dark, but if you see her face, she reminds me more of Martina McBride. Very striking blue eyes. Very strong voice as well, similar to Martina.
She opened her set with "When Do I Get to Be a Woman." I gotta say that the sound was really muffled. Not the artist's fault. The ARCO seems to have this problem often. We couldn't really understand what she was saying, and because she's rather new, we couldn't understand what she was singing very well, either. Other than her singles, I had to look up her music on her CD to see what songs she sang, because it was just really hard to make out what she was singing.
One song I did recognize was the fun "One in the Middle." And, she also covered the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's "Fishing in the Dark," so that I could figure out what she was singing. I asked my friend if it was just me, and she said no, she couldn't make out the words very well, either.
She ended her brief set with her new single "He Hates Me." All in all, I think she did well. I would have enjoyed the show better if the sound was mixed better, but that's not her fault. I also think she needs to work a little more on playing the sides of the stages more evenly. She seemed to play the other side of the arena more than the side we were on. I can understand this, as most people don't play in-the-round shows, so it takes some getting used to.
Song List:
- When Do I Get to Be a Woman
- Muddy Water
- The One in the Middle
- Baby My Heart
- Fishing in the Dark
- He Hates Me
