George Strait Kicks off 'The Cowboy Rides Away' Tour

On Friday (Jan. 18), George Strait kicked-off the first of 21 tour stops on his 2013 The Cowboy Rides Away Tour at United Spirit Arena in Lubbock, Texas. Martina McBride is Strait’s special guest on the tour. An audience of over 15,000 was afforded what will soon be a rare occurrence–seeing Strait and his Ace In The Hole Band live in concert.
The evening began for many with a VIP reception in a room aptly named “The King’s Tavern,” which features multiple traveling memorabilia cases on display as part of “The King’s Exhibit” with featured items ranging from Dusty Chandler’s jacket (the lead character Strait portrayed in the film Pure Country), to Strait’s Country Music Hall of Fame medallion from his November 2006 induction.
Partway through the show Strait broke stride after he performed his current single, “Give It All We Got Tonight,” and introduced U.S. Marine Corps E-3/Lance Corporal Christopher Allen.  Allen was then recognized as the 287th recipient of the Military Warriors Support Foundation’s (MWSF) “Homes 4 Wounded Heroes” (H4WH) program and the first awardee to receive a key directly from Strait. The presentation was made possible through Strait’s longtime friend, Lieutenant General Leroy Sisco, U.S. Army (Retired).
“Our foundation is thrilled at this opportunity to work with such an incredible patriot as George Strait and with his help we are going to change the lives of the heroes and their families by awarding 100% mortgage-free homes at the next 20 concerts on George’s ‘The Cowboy Rides Away’ finale tour,” said Sisco.
The Allen family will receive a spacious 3 bedroom/2.5 bathroom one-story home in Bakersfield, Calif. complete with a pool and a two car garage. The homes made available for the program are donated to MWSF through partnerships and, as revealed at the show in Lubbock, will be awarded to one service member at every tour stop on The Cowboy Rides Away Tour.
Upcoming 2013 The Cowboy Rides Away Tour dates:
Jan 19  |  Chesapeake Energy Arena  |  Oklahoma City, Okla.
Jan 25  |  EnergySolutions Arena  |  Salt Lake City, Utah
Jan 26  |  Idaho Center  |  Nampa, Idaho
Jan 31  |  Sleep Train Arena  |  Sacramento, Calif.
Feb 1   |  SaveMart Center  |  Fresno, Calif.
Feb 2   |  MGM Grand Garden Arena  |  Las Vegas, Nev.
Feb 15 |  Xcel Energy Center  |  St. Paul, Minn.
Feb 16 |  Alerus Center  |  Grand Forks, N.D.
Feb 22 |  First Niagara Center  |  Buffalo, N.Y.
Feb 23 |  XL Center  |  Hartford, Conn.
Mar 1   |  Thompson-Boling Arena  |  Knoxville, Tenn.
Mar 2   |  Rupp Arena  |  Lexington, Ky.
Mar 17 |  Reliant Stadium  |  Houston, Texas
Mar 22 |  Bi-Lo Center  |  Greenville, S.C.
Mar 23 |  Greensboro Coliseum  |  Greensboro, N.C.
Apr 5   |  The Pit  |  Albuquerque, N.M.
Apr 6   |  Pan American Center  |  Las Cruces, N.M.
Apr 12 |  Verizon Arena  |  N. Little Rock, Ark.
Apr 13 |  New Orleans Arena  |  New Orleans, La.
Jun 1    |  Alamodome  |  San Antonio, Texas*
* On sale date March 9, 2013