George Strait did his Minnesota fans a solid by not waiting until next year to make up his COVID-delayed summer concert at U.S. Bank Stadium, but the country music giant didn't do himself any favors.
"It's co-o-o-o-ld up here," the Texan-through-and-through good-naturedly complained early in his set Saturday night on the Vikings' home field — thankfully roofed in this case, although the bouncy acoustics were as troublesome ever.
The snow and gales of November may not have been to his liking, but semi-retirement seems to be suiting Strait just fine. In town for the first time since his farewell tour in 2013 — Minneapolis is one of only five cities to get him in 2021 — the 69-year-old singer looked fit and healthy in his rail-thin blue jeans. He still proved enduring as a top-drawing star and durable as a singer, too, performing more than 30 songs totaling over 2½ hours.
With more than 51,000 attendees, Saturday's sold-out gig turned out to be the Twin Cities' biggest concert of 2021 and second biggest in the Vikings stadium's five-year history (outdone only by Garth Brooks in 2018).
Granted, King George had quite a royal court of opening acts to help sell tickets, including last week's big winner (again) at the CMA Awards, Chris Stapleton, plus harmonious twang-pop quartet Little Big Town and Minnesota's own Caitlyn Smith.
A Cannon Falls native who's made a reputable name for herself in Nashville, Smith sadly missed the chance to impress a stadium full of home-state fans; most of the crowd was still stuck out in the snow navigating the long and confusing entry lines. The power in Smith's voice was unmistakable, though, even as it bounced around the notoriously echoey room (made worse by empty seats).
Little Big Town, which was one of the first music acts to contend with the Vikings' stadium (they warmed up for Luke Bryan in 2017's opening concert), also suffered through bad sound. The driving beat in the novelty hit "Pontoon" sounded like a sputtering boat motor.
At least the rich harmonies in the Alabama group's mellower and more meaningful tunes ("Better Man," "Girl Crush") came through clearly. So did the humor in LBT co-vocalist Karen Fairchild's banter between songs.