George Strait Kyle Field show breaks U.S. attendance record

Out of the clear blue sky came a warm and breezy Texas summer night as 110,905 people packed Kyle Field for a never-before-seen show at Texas A&M’s cathedral of a stadium. The show broke a 47-year-old record for highest-attended ticketed concert in United States history, which was previously held by The Grateful Dead who drew 107,019 people to a New Jersey show in 1977.

Saturday’s concert was also the largest-attended event in Kyle Field’s history, surpassing the 2014 A&M football game against Ole Miss that drew 110,633 fans. Kyle Field’s official capacity is 102,733, but thousands of floor seats and standing-room-only sections allowed for the event to surpass the stadium’s official capacity.

Strait’s son, Bubba, who went to A&M, gave his father permission to “whoop.” He joked onstage that he was scared to play in front of such a large crowd.

“It’s amazing,” Strait said. “Never have we ever played in front of a crowd this big. I mean, we came close at Cowboys Stadium a few years back. I got 104 [thousand]. My gosh, [110,905]!”

Straw hats covered the heads of hundreds. Many men had on pearl snap shirts and a number of women wore dresses. Denim was a popular wardrobe choice. The smell of fresh leather filled the air and the sound of Strait’s soothing voice filled concertgoers’ ears.

Folks with floor seats started holding their phones in the air 10 minutes before Strait took the stage. Nobody wanted a fool hearted memory of “The King’s” Kyle Field show.

All of a sudden, the already dimmed stadium lights went dark and Strait took the stage with his band playing “Deep in the Heart of Texas.” The 72-year-old dawned a black felt hat, a blue Wrangler shirt from his clothing line with the western apparel outfitter, blue jeans and black boots. His black guitar glistened with a black and gold strap around his shoulder.

Strait’s set opened with several of his well-known songs, including “I Got a Car,” “Baby Run,” and “The Fireman.” He moved into playing a couple songs from his upcoming album “Cowboys and Dreamers.” It will be his first album released since 2019.

When Strait played “The Weight of the Badge,” a video cameo showed law enforcement officers from the Bryan-College Station area, which drew praise from the crowd.

Strait stopped playing for a few minutes during the middle of his show to give the keys to a new house to Purple Heart recipient Tiffany Baker. The home giveaway was made through the Military Warriors Support Foundation and was sponsored by Diligent Consulting Inc.

Outside the stadium in Aggie Park, people brought lawn chairs and blankets to sit and listen to the concert that had a hot ticket price. Inside down on the floor and in the standing-room-only areas, couples two-stepped to different songs. Concertgoers received glowing wristbands that changed colors throughout the night.

Catie Offerman led off the evening with plenty of energy. She played for almost 45 minutes and donned Strait’s maroon concert shirt that said “Howdy” across the front. Her bandmates brought bolo ties and straw hats. Parker McCollum followed and played for an hour and a half. He said playing with Strait might have been the greatest night of his life and told the crowd he couldn’t describe the feeling he felt when he was asked to play in the three-act show.

“I grew up just less than an hour away and came to Aggie football games quite a few times and I’m sure some of y’all wish y’all were at the Aggie baseball game tonight,” McCollum said on stage, referring to Texas A&M’s late-night appearance in the College World Series.

“I love country music. I love country music so intensely since I was a little bitty kid and wanted so bad to be a country singer, wanted to do it the right way, wanted to make my family proud, and the ones that paved the way in country music proud. I feel like we’ve done that, and I feel like that’s why we’re standing here tonight at Kyle Field opening for George Strait in the biggest concert of his entire career.”

Later, Strait played some of his top hits like “Ocean Front Property,” “The Chair,” and “Give It Away.” Strait’s show lasted 2 hours and 15 minutes. His band stayed on stage and continued to play as he walked back to the tunnel of Kyle Field’s south end zone. He high-fived fans and waved to the crowd as he walked away.

“Thanks, College Station! Thanks all you Aggies out there!” Strait said as he wrapped up his performance.

Except, Strait strolled back to the stage for a five-song encore, which included “All My Exes Live in Texas” and a cover to Tom Petty’s “You Wreck Me.” He closed the show with “The Cowboy Rides Away.”

Concertgoers might be back in Amarillo by morning. If a survey asked them to check yes or no if Saturday’s show was worth the price of admission, many would likely say yes without a doubt.

A&M officials sought to utilize Kyle Field beyond seven Saturdays in the fall for home football games. They found an ace in the hole with Strait’s show.

“Just invite me back,” Strait told the crowd. “I’ll come!”