Strait announces new music coming

Strait made the announcement during a show on Saturday night in Indianapolis and played several songs from the disc. There was no release date announced.

Strait's last release was "Honky Tonky Time Machine" in 2019.

"It's so good to be back. Man, it's been six months, and that's too long," Strait said to the sold-out crowd of 51,132 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

"We got some new stuff, too, I'm gonna throw in throughout the night because I broke down and did another record, and I'm gonna play a few of those for you tonight," Strait shared two songs in, playing the first-of-three, "Three Drinks Behind." He also told the crowd the name of the release.

"We always like to do songs from our old heroes that have passed on and finally got this one down (recorded) and gonna do it now live, this is 'Waymore's Blues,'" he offered halfway through his 32-song set.

Chris Stapleton joined the Texan mid stride on "Pancho and Lefty," staying onstage for "You Don't Know What You're Missing," an album cut he penned for Strait's Love Is Everything, and revealing their first-ever collaboration, "Honky Tonk Hall of Fame," on Strait's forthcoming album.

Saturday was Strait's first show back after losses to his touring family including his longtime manager, Erv Woolsey, Ace in the Hole member Gene Elders and tour manager Tom Foote.

Strait, 71, took the opportunity to acknowledge their absence throughout the evening. "The last couple of months have been a tough time. Music makes it all better. Thank you for coming out. We've had a great time tonight. This one is for Erv, and Gene and Tom," before concluding with a six-song encore.

Strait's tour schedule is:
May 11 EverBank Stadium Jacksonville, FL
May25 Jack Trice Stadium Ames, IA
June 1 Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, NC
June 8 MetLife Stadium East Rutherford, NJ
June 15 Kyle Field College Station, TX
June 29 Rice-Eccles Stadium Salt Lake City, UT
July 13 Ford Field Detroit, MI
July 20 Soldier Field Chicago, IL
Dec. 7 Allegiant Stadium Las Vegas, NV