On this day (September 26) in 2012, George Strait announced that he planned to retire from large-scale touring. At the same time, he revealed that he would embark on one final nationwide trek. The Cowboy Rides Away tour boasted 47 arena and stadium dates divided between two legs. The tour began on January 18, 2013, and the second leg ended on June 7, 2014, with a record-breaking show at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
When Strait broke the news, he had recently turned 60. He had been an active touring musician since the 1970s. His tours got bigger in the 1980s when he found commercial success. Massive crowds continued to fill stadiums across the United States for decades. However, he worried that he would stop drawing those crowds over time. So, he chose to quit while he was still one of country music’s biggest stars.
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George Strait Announces His Victory Lap
George Strait held a press conference at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum to announce his retirement and farewell tour. “It’s been a hard decision for me to make, but as far as touring goes, I’ve decided I’m not going to tour anymore after the next two years,” he said.
Then, he assured everyone he wasn’t walking away from his career. “Don’t think I’m retiring because I’m not. I’m still going to make records as long as Mike [Dungan, head of MCA Records] will let me,” he said. Strait also clarified that he wasn’t ruling out future concerts. “If a special event comes up that I want to do, by all means, I will do it. But as far as a structured tour goes, at the last date of 2014, that will be it for touring,” he explained.
“I always had it in the back of my mind when I turned 60 that it might be time to start thinking about it. I also never wanted to show up for a tour when nobody came,” he said, explaining the reason behind the decision. “I believe I made the right decision. Only time will tell.”
[RELATED: George Strait Just Set Another Attendance Record Following Sold-Out South Carolina Show]
He has since played several one-off shows and very limited tours. For instance, he headlined a record-breaking concert at Kyle Field in 2024. So, it seems that he didn’t need to worry about fans not showing up.
Featured Image by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for George Strait
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