Country Mike Blog

George Strait shows

Mike Sudhalter  |  December 12, 2007

I never thought I'd get the opportunity to see George Strait twice in one year. I saw country's most consistent (and traditional) hitmaker in 1996, 2001 and 2006. I knew he was performing concerts in Sacramento and Fresno early next year, but I was glad to see he added a show for Oakland in March.

So much for my assumption that I'm missing out on a lot of the best concerts, living in California.

Strait concerts are for country purists, not those wanting to see the musical version of a three-ring circus. The best time I saw him was 2001 when he played Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium with a star-studded lineup that included Alan Jackson (they dueted on a couple of songs), Sara Evans, Lonestar, Lee Ann Womack and Brad Paisley.

I've been reading a lot of Top 10 lists for albums, but I can't think of many, probably because I listen to so much music online and purchase songs individually. Sure, there were albums I enjoyed, but I've heard so many that it's hard to rank them.

Shuffling through the itunes store, I discovered a Texas Country act named Ryan Park. Ironically, his best song, in my opinion, "Louisiana Boy."

I also found an early album released by Todd Fritsch. It's not surprising that the tunes sound a lot more raw than Fritsch's latest two albums - self-titled and "Sawdust."

I'm currently listening to "Happy Endings" by Lee Brice, and I think this song has No. 1 potential.