The Cowboy Rode Away...{With a Little Piece of My Heart}

Back in January I said I'd be willing to bet my life savings that George Strait's final show wouldn't disappoint {see that post here}. That may have been the safest wager I've ever made. To say it was EPIC would be an understatement. The King of Country Music's final show was truly the concert of a lifetime.   

Record-Breaking. {Literally...the crowd of 104,793 fans blew the previous indoor concert attendance record out of the water!}

A-MAZ-ing. 

Phenomenal. 

Nothing will ever compare.

King George...with a little back-up support from
Sheryl Crow, Miranda Lambert, Martina McBride and Faith Hill

Disclaimer: Most of the pictures taken inside of the stadium have an orange tint {yeah, pretty much everyone looks like an oompa loompa!}...I hope you can somewhat overlook the poor quality and my terrible photography skills and enjoy the pics.

Hold up! Let's rewind to Saturday morning so I can completely relive this fabulous day as I type...

After a little bit of shopping in the morning, the girls hit the DryBar to get pretty for King George...

A HUGE thank you to my generous mom for  paying for our blowouts! What a nice surprise!
Thanks, Vick!

A quick outfit-change and we were ready to go...

We did a little pre-gaming en route to the big show. We made a few stops along the way to pick up the rest of our party....

We weren't really sure what to expect once we got to the concert. On one hand we'd heard that each of the other artists was going to sing three of his/her own songs before GS came on stage to perform. Then on Saturday morning, all of the radio stations were saying that George was going on at 7:00 pm and that the other artists would join him for duet-type performances. Turns out the latter was how it actually went down...and it was P.E.R.F.E.C.T! Each artist joined George on stage to perform two of his songs. {Sidenote: I may have had to reference this article to help me remember the exact order of the set list...turns out consuming lil' cans of Sofia champagne doesn't really help to improve my memory!}

King George opened the show with "Check Yes or No" followed by "A Fire I Can't Put Out."

The first guest to join GS on stage was Vince Gill.  Together they sang "Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind" and "Lovebug."

George then played "River of Love" and "Lead On."

Jason Aldean came on to sing "Fool Hearted Memory" and "Nobody In His Right Mind Would Have Left Her."

Even Bubba took the stage with his dad to sing the song he wrote, "Arkansas Dave." 

Then GS played one of my favorites, "I Saw God Today."

I might have a little crush on Eric Church, so needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed these two coming together to sing "Cowboys Like Us" and "Easy Come, Easy Go."

George then played "The King of Broken Hearts" and "Marina Del Rey."

Now let's talk for a minute about Sheryl Crow. She's 52 years old and flippin' GORGEOUS! Sign me up for whatever skincare regimen she's using because IT.WORKS! She took the stage with George to sing "When Did You Stop Loving Me" and "Here for a Good Time."

GS then performed "I Can Still Make Cheyenne" and "Drinkin' Man."

I've got a special place in my heart for Kansas-girl Martina McBride. She's truly timeless and 100% classy! It was no surprise that she and George teamed up to pay tribute to Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash {"Jackson"} and George Jones and Tammy Wynette {"Golden Ring"}.

George again had the stage to himself to play "Give It Away" and "I Got a Car."

Faith Hill performed "A Showman's Life" and "Let's Fall to Pieces Together" with King George.

Next up was "I Believe" and "Blame It On Mexico."

Of course Alan Jackson was there to sing "Murder on Music Row" with George. He also joined GS for one of the classics, "Amarillo By Morning."

And then he played "The Chair." ...And I cried. {It's my ultimate favorite...duh!}

I've gotta say, my makeup weathered the tears pretty well...

The next song he played was "Give It All We Got Tonight."

Miranda Lambert {looking smokin' hotttt, by the way} performed "How 'Bout Them Cowgirls" and "Run" with George.

After Miranda left the stage, George played "You Look So Good In Love" and "I'll Always Remember You." A few tears welled up in my eyes...not gonna lie.

Kenny Chesney came on stage for "Ocean Front Property" and "The Fireman." What a combination...two of my favorite artists singing two of my favorite songs!

King George closed the regular set with "Troubadour" and "Unwound."

The crowd was soooooo loud as every single fan stayed in their seat waiting for George to come back out...one last time. All of the artists came back on stage for the encore...pretty cool to see all of those great country stars supporting King George as he ended his touring era. Everyone joined in for "All My Exes Live in Texas" and "Folsom Prison Blues."

I don't think I can pinpoint one single point that was my FAVORITE moment of the night, but I did L.O.V.E. when he quoted Arnold Schwarzenegger {"I'll be back!"} just before he began to sing "The Cowboy Rides Away."

...And yes, there might have been a few tears again.

It was an incredible night...hands down, the best concert I have ever attended {or ever will!}.

Thanks for the ride, George...there have been a lot of memories made at your shows over the years! And if you'll be back, then I'll be there!