At 6:58 the lights went down and the music kicked in as Lee Ann Womack stepped onto the stage. She set the tone for what would begin a most incredible night of country music featuring not only Reba McEntire, performing like the star that she is, but also the King of Country Music himself, George Strait.

Lee Ann Womack took charge, capturing her audience right away, working the four corners of the center stage very well. She looked great, she sounded great and was the perfect opener for this 4 hour power packed concert. Though her set was short, it was filled with some of her best hits, ending of course, with the ever popular “I Hope You Dance” and “Ashes by Now”.

And then came Reba. Looking like the star that she is, in her black denim jeans, a black sequin dotted, sleeveless top and black over the knee boots, she immediately brought the house down with her opener “I Can’t Even Get the Blues”. Promising some old stuff and almost warning that there would have to be new songs as well, she did not disappoint. Every piece, the new and the old were delivered with such power and pitch perfect clarity, one cannot help but smile when Ms. McEntire is on stage. Four giant screens allowed everyone in the arena a grand view of the artists, and Reba played to each corner with equal time. Of course the crowd went wild and rose to their feet for the classics like “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” and her short medley of “Somebody Should Leave’ and “My Broken Heart”, but even her new “Turn on Your Radio” had people on their feet again, clapping, dancing and excited for what else the new CD may have in store. Reba gives genuine thanks to her fans for the support she’s enjoyed over the last 20 years and one can feel the sincerity of her appreciation. “Does He Love You” brought Lee Ann back to the stage for the duet as the performers faced each other on opposite corners, staring each other down, making you feel the tension of the two women the song portrays. A touching moment came when Reba talked about her father and of growing up on a working cattle ranch . She then took a seat on a stool under the spotlight as she so sweetly gave us “The Greatest Man I Never Knew”, bringing this blogger and I suspect a large amount of people, to shed a tear or two.

Even though I didn’t know who “Barbara Jean” was, it was obvious pretty quickly that this blonde bombshell who came bounding onto the stage in a George Strait T-shirt, carrying a beer, was a character from Reba’s TV show and she was quite funny. I do think the comic skit lasted a tad longer than it should have, but when Melissa Peterman started the C – A – T – S chant, she immediately earned herself a huge fan base in Rupp Arena. All in all she was entertaining and it was a good lead to Reba’s theme song from the show “I’m a Survivor”.

I won’t list all of the Reba songs we were privileged to enjoy, but you can trust that Reba put on a SHOW. Her encore was my personal all time favorite female country song and my favorite moment of the night. A bright yellow taxi brought our red headed beauty through the crowd and back to the stage. She stepped out of that cab in a “fancy dancin’ dress” that was red and “fit her good” . There stood Fancy, just like the story had painted her and Reba told Fancy’s story in song for us with enormous passion.

A fifteen minute intermission and band change later, the King of Country music himself, Mr. George Strait, appeared. His voice as strong and beautiful as ever, George’s entertainment is his song. He could just as easily have sat on a stool the entire set and delivered beautiful note after note to his adoring crowd. Instead he tried to use the four corners of the centered stage as well, strolling slowly from corner to corner every couple of songs. It seemed almost awkward at times. If you are looking for a quick moving, dancing, jumping country star to wow you with tricks and fancy footwork, Mr Strait is not your guy. I could listen to George Strait all day long. And listening to him is all his biggest fans desire. He need do nothing more than open his mouth and sing. He opened with his newest title track “Twang”, followed by “Oceanfront Property”. Other giants included “The Fireman,” “Heartland,” “She’ll Leave You With a Smile” “Give It Away” and one of my favorite George Strait songs, “The Chair”. 90 minutes of solid George Strait hits, one right after another seemed to put the audience in a much quieter, more subdued, albeit comfortable state, rising only occasionally for some of his more upbeat tunes. The encore brought him back to the stage for 3 more tunes including the ever famous “All My Ex’s Live in Texas”.

I have to give a shout out to the bands and backup singers that these people bring to the stage with them. They are absolutely incredible! Each band was amazing and backed their singers with everything they needed to give top notch performances.

Overall the night was quite an enjoyable experience. It would seem more fitting to have had Reba follow George, building from the more low key to the super power, ending the entire concert with that fabulous production of Fancy. I expected and would have loved to have seen Reba and George do at least ONE duet at the end. It didn’t happen and that for me, was a little disappointing.

Blogged by: Lori Johnson
Photography by: Paul Hooper