George Strait closed-out the month-long Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo last night with a performance that broke the NRG Stadium attendance record.
Strait, who performed with special guests Lyle Lovett and Robert Earl Keen, drew in a crowd of 80,108 fans, breaking his previous record from a show in 2013 with Martina McBride and Randy Rogers Band of 80,020. The concert-only show installed roughly 6,000 seats where a dirt floor had been during the previous shows.
According to Chron, Strait’s setlist included three dozen songs from throughout his career including “Every Little Honky Tonk Bar,” “Amarillo By Morning,” “The Fireman,” and “I’ll Always Remember You” before closing with the classic “The Cowboy Rides Away.”
This certainly wasn’t Strait’s first time taking the stage at RodeoHouston; since 1984, he’s performed 30 times at the Rodeo and entertained more than 1.7 RodeoHouston fans. While Strait, 66, has stopped formally touring, he can be found making various appearances across the country and remains a legendary country star.
RodeoHouston, which ran for 24 days from February 21 to 23, and 25 through March 17, included performances from top artists like Panic! At The Disco, Brooks & Dunn, Zac Brown Band, Zedd, Luke Bryan, Kings of Leon, and Chris Stapleton, among others. Attendance records were broken two other times this season – when Cardi B performed on March 1 and when Los Tigres Del Norte took the stage on March 10.
According to the Rodeo’s website, total attendance for all activities on Sunday reached 146,331, which was the highest final-day attendance since 2015. Additionally, the total event attendance throughout the 24-day event was about 2.51 million – the second-highest attendance within the past five years.
“By offering a diverse musical lineup, great rodeo action, a number of agricultural and educational exhibits, and a wide variety of food and fun, the 2019 Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo drew more than 2.5 million visitors to take part in our community celebration of Western heritage,” Joel Cowley, Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo president and CEO, said in a release. “Thanks to our more than 34,000 dedicated volunteers, we were able to successfully host Houston’s favorite tradition in support of our $27.1 million commitment to youth and education.”
