Country music’s boom year racked up another milestone after singer George Strait set a new record for attendance at a ticketed concert in the U.S. on Saturday.
Strait drew 110,905 fans to Kyle Field at Texas A&M in College Station, which according to Billboard bested the previously acknowledged record of 107,019 fans who caught the Grateful Dead’s 1977 show at Raceway Park in New Jersey. This record doesn’t include festivals such as Coachella and Electric Daisy Carnival, which routinely draw bigger crowds.
The attendance record adds to one of the most illustrious careers in country music. Strait, renowned for his neo-traditionalist sound that stood out from the country-pop crossover hits of the ‘80s and ‘90s, has earned 27 No. 1 country albums and 44 No. 1 country singles. Strait has a new album, “Cowboys And Dreamers,” due out Sept. 6.
Strait’s record comes during a gold-rush era for country music, as Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” topped streaming charts in 2023 and led Stagecoach to an instant sellout in April, while pop acts like Beyoncé and Post Malone have worked in the genre to find new, influential creative peaks.
Strait still has a way to go to catch the record of most-attended concert of all time, though. In May, Madonna drew 1.6 million fans to Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro for a free show to wrap up her “Celebration” tour.