Reba McEntire and George Strait were the powerful kick-off  this year to the weekend of country music that takes over Tiger Stadium each Memorial Day weekend. It is a bit of a departure for Bayou Country Superfest, whose line-up generally focuses on more contemporary, pop-country, country-rap acts like Florida Georgia Line and Jason Aldean.
However, Friday night’s show, featuring Chris Young as well as George and Reba, drew one of the largest crowds in the festival’s five years. Traditional country may not be hot right now, but it certainly can still draw a crowd.
Reba’s set was tight, just over an hour, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t comprehensive. Reba, a gifted storyteller, told her own story as she moved through the songs of her career. Much like George Strait who would play later, Reba started playing music in the late 70s/early 80s and it took her a few years to get the hit that would make her a superstar. For Reba, that hit was “Can’t Even Get the Blues” in 1982, which she opened with Friday night.
All the songs fans love were included, such as “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” and “You’re No Good”. A heartbreaking rendition of “Does He Love You?” really stood out in the middle of the set, but the whole crowd was on their feet for her encore, which was 1991’s hit “Fancy.”
Reba re-emerged from backstage after a costume change for the song, wearing a red dancing dress like the one that Fancy’s momma bought for her in the song.
After Reba, the excitement was palpable as the sun went down and the crowd anticipated George Strait. He did not disappoint.
His set, over two hours long (a rarity these days– it may have been the longest set I’ve ever seen) kicked off with a sassy rendition of “The Fireman”. It was followed shortly by “Check Yes or No” and an achingly beautiful rendition of “Marina Del Ray”.
Strait is a true country gentleman– and as other reviewers have pointed out– he is as old school as they come. That is his charm– his music is romantic, relatable, and fun. So in classic country style, Strait and his band mostly stayed glued to their spots and focused on their instruments, yet the monitors revealed Strait’s expressive face, and the little ways that he related with his audience– like handing a pick to a little itty bitty cowboy on the front row.
“Amarillo by Morning”, which followed “You Look So Good In Love” was a high point of the thirty-two song set, but the Strait had even more to offer, like a danceable rendition of “Here For a Good Time” and even his current hit, “I Got a Car.”
If it is possible to complain about such a great show, I would say that a duet between George and Reba would have made the night that much more special, and the crowd may have expected it. The only other complaint is personal– “Write This Down” was the song that made me realize that I still loved country music when I was a teenager, and I would have loved to hear it.
Yet, who can complain about a show with a five song encore? After initially leaving the stage, Strait returned to play a mixture of originals, old and new, and even a Johnny Cash cover. Starting with “Same Kind of Crazy” then playing the fan-favorite “All My Ex’s Live in Texas”, Strait and the Ace in the Hole Band also treated fans to “Run”, a spunky rendition of “Folsom Prison Blues” where The Ace in the Hole Band had a chance to really shine, and they ended appropriately with “Cowboy Rides Away.”
Friday night’s Bayou Country Superfest was an excellent experience overall, and well worth the hype. It’s not every day that Baton Rouge sees living legends such as Reba and George Strait.