George Strait Sets Summer Tour

George Strait performs "River of Love" at "The 42nd Annual CMA Awards," on Wednesday, Nov. 12, 2008, live from the Sommet Center in Nashville on the ABC Television Network. Photo courtesy of the Country Music Association.

Dec. 4, 2008 — George Strait, the most-honored artist in the 42-year history of the Country Music Association Awards, has unveiled a 17-date tour for summer 2009.

The condensed performance schedule, which features several festival stops, begins May 9 in Hidalgo, Texas, and wraps July 25 in the Chicago area. A large portion of the dates — including stops in Charlotte, Virginia Beach, Salt Lake City and Indianapolis — are slated for outdoor amphitheaters.

George has piled up 22 CMA trophies during his career, two of them for Entertainer of the Year. Little Big Town opened many of his shows during 2008, and the band indeed found him quite entertaining.

"I don’t think that anybody works the camera and the crowd in such a subtle, sexy way better than George Strait," Karen Fairchild says. "It’s not like he jumps around the stage like Sugarland or anything. It’s a completely different show than what they do, and both are amazing. But George has this way — it’s like the chicks just dream about goin’ home with him, and the guys respect him so much they wanna be him. His voice sounds as good right now as it ever has, and just watching him woo the crowd the way he does, it’s fascinating."

George’s summer tour itinerary follows:
• May 9 Hidalgo, Texas
• May 15 Charlotte, N.C.
• May 16 Raleigh, N.C.
• May 22 Cincinnati, Ohio
• May 23 Pittsburgh, Pa.
• May 29 Holmdel, N.J.
• May 30 Boston, Mass.
• June 12 Virginia Beach, Va.
• June 13 Washington, D.C.
• June 28 Cadott, Wis.
• June 29 Milwaukee, Wis.
• July 11 Calgary, Alberta
• July 12 Craven, Saskatoon
• July 17 Salt Lake City, Utah
• July 18 Cheyenne, Wyo.
• July 24 Indianapolis, Ind.
• July 25 Tinley Park, Ill.