The Cowboy Rides Away

A dream of mine came true 2 years ago when I saw George Strait for the first time with my family.  IT WAS AWESOME!  Last year when he announced it would be his last year to tour, I was saddened, but it was a good choice for him to make.  I screamed listening to the radio when it was announced he was coming back to Des Moines.  I knew I had to get tickets!  I did, and last night, Dustin finally got to enjoy his Christmas present!

Knowing from last time, I knew to get there early!  We got to our parking spot about 4:30 and headed to Legend's to grab a bite to eat.  We got there just in time!  When we got to our table, there were floods of people crossing the street to come in.  A couple of BBQ Bacon Cheeseburgers later, we were headed up the street to Wells Fargo.  There were so many people, so many boots, so many hats, big belt buckles, and plaid.  I was just this side of heaven!  We found our seats right away at 6 and had an hour and a half before the show started.  We people watched and it took me about 20 minutes at the merchandise table to get a shirt.  About 2 minutes after I got back to my seat, the lights dimmed and out stepped Ronnie Dunn!

He was very good!  He sang some good ol' Brooks & Dunn songs as well as some of his new solo songs.  He talked about another favorite of mine, Reba.  It was just such a classic kind of night!  Forget those shows with the young crowd of beer drinking 20 somethings!  Give me the good mix of everybody having fun and talking between generations during intermission!  While we 'patiently' waited for George, we talked to the couple in front of us.  It was very fun!

And then it was time.

The lights dimmed.  The crowd started to cheer.  My mouth hurt from smiling.  My thumb was poised perfectly to capture him walking out of that tunnel.  My throat was cleared and my lips were licked and ready to scream.

And then he came out in all his classy brilliance!  He is such a gentleman and just a class act!  He flashed his striking smile around the arena and took up his guitar and pick and stepped up the microphone.  The cheers were deafening and I was on cloud 9!

George is just so real.  His songs still sound country and I just can't get enough of his voice mixed with the steel guitar.  Most people would never guess that the steel guitar is my favorite instrument.  It's just such a cool sound!  I could have sat there all night and just listened to him.  One of my favorite songs is Amarillo By Morning.  Ronnie Dunn came back out to sing with him for that.  You could tell they really enjoyed singing with each other.

Again, George had 3 pages of songs to sing and it could have lasted longer.  He left, but after a couple of suspenseful minutes he returned for an encore.  The saddest moment of the whole night was the last song.  I knew as soon as The Cowboy Rides Away started, he would be done for the night.  I was trying not to cry.  This man is such a legend and he's the King of Country Music for crying out loud!  I saw some ladies who couldn't hold back. 

It was an incredible night and I am so lucky to have a dream come true for the second time!  This was also Dustin and I's first concert together!  It was just an incredible experience to watch the Cowboy ride away!