No giant lemon. No costume changes. No fireworks.
George Strait defies the rules, not only of contemporary country music stardom, but of pop music superstardom in general.
At a time when performers rely on ever more extravagant productions to draw large concert crowds, Strait offered only songs — more than two dozen of them, spread over nearly two hours — as he headlined a daylong country music show that brought more than 50,000 people to Soldier Field Sunday.
Strait’s only concessions to arena-scale stardom were a few video screens, an overamplified rhythm section, and an occasionally flashy light show. Even this last feature, though, was overshadowed by Strait’s own popularity, as he was bathed most of the evening in the flashes of thousands of cameras.
More animated than in his last area appearance at the Rosemont Horizon in the fall of 1996, Strait frequently addressed the crowd, called out to his band, and swatted the end of his acoustic guitar with enthusiasm, but was still as far from being Mick Jagger as his native state of Texas is from London.
Strait’s music, similarly, has few frills. His singing was smooth and easy-going, but his straightforward delivery belied his mastery of several genres of country music. Moving assuredly through ballads, Tex-Mex, honky-tonk, Western swing and Cajun tunes, Strait’s aptly named Ace In The Hole Band shone, particularly when Gene Elders’ fiddle swelled up behind Strait or Mike Daily drenched the songs in gorgeous steel guitar.
If anything, Strait is too reserved for his own good, and his barking, belting, growling, rendition of “Milk Cow Blues Boogie” made one wish he’d cut loose more often. Still, his song selections — including classics by George Jones, Conway Twitty and Merle Haggard — were almost always tasteful, his handling of them never less than solid.
Sadly, the same could not be said for most of the other acts on the bill. Lee Ann Womack fared well, making familiar tales of hopeless relationships sound fresh with her assured phrasing and volume control, a lovely, warbling soprano and an impeccable band.
Credit also goes to opening act Asleep at the Wheel, which gamely performed a spirited set of Western swing for a half-empty stadium.
As for the rest, well, Tim McGraw was entertaining when he sang novelty songs filled with shout-along choruses and Southern boogie guitar grooves, smarmy when performing contrived ballads filled with calculated sentimentality. None was more calculated than his much-anticipated duet with his wife, Faith Hill, on their hit “It’s Your Love,” a tender, intimate moment — shared with 50,000 people.
Hill herself seemed undecided whether to emulate Celine Dion or Melissa Etheridge, as she used her torchy voice and melodramatic delivery to power both ballads and classic rock hits by the Faces and Janis Joplin.
John Michael Montgomery poured out the sap, delivering testimonies of romantic devotion at a snail’s pace, and achieved a low point in pandering by concluding his set with an endless version of “Sweet Home Alabama.”
