Is George Strait The GOAT?
This weekend I went and saw George Strait at Austin City Limits Festival. Prior to arriving I couldn't have told you who the hell George Strait was. If you put him in a lineup with other country music stars I couldn't have picked him out. I walked in not knowing who he was and left thinking, "That man might be one of the greatest song writers/performers of all time.
I was originally planning on watching Miley Cyrus from 8-10 but my instagram friends informed me that I would be a stupid idiot moron if I went to Miley and missed George Strait. So I took their advice, I'm no stupid idiot moron. While standing in the crowd waiting for Mr. Strait to take the stage I did some eavesdropping. Here's a few of the conversations I heard:
Husband: Babe when does George take the stage?
Wife: Eight oclock
Husband: I can't wait to see George
*Another conversation:
Guy: Hell it's been years since I've seen George.
Friend: Yeah when was the last time we saw George?
Whenever I guy over 40 referred to George Strait they just casually called him George as if he was a childhood best friend. Who is this god damn guy?
Finally he took the stage and my first thought was, "Damn, he's an old man". I was thinking George was a little younger. The place went nuts when he walked out onto the stage. My anticipation was building and I didn't know what to expect. I spent the next two hours singing songs that I didn;t know I knew. I had no idea what this man looked like coming into this thing yet somehow I sang 80% of his songs word for word. His performance was amazing and for a 70 year old man he can absolutely belt. I kept thinking to myself, "How do I know the words to this song? I don't even know this guy."
With today's artists I know what they all look like but I couldn't tell you a single song of theirs. George on the other hand let's his art do the talking, his reputation and his songs truly precede him. It sort of shed a light on how shitty the music industry is today, it's is a popularity contest that pumps out views without considering quality. I'm not saying creativity and art is dead in this new era but it sure as hell ain't winning. Oh well, at least we still have George.
George Strait is without a doubt one of the greatest song writers and performers of all time. Oh and his band "Ace in The Hole" deserves a mention too. God damn they're good. They have a combined age that's older than earth itself but nonetheless they rip. The performance really did move me and I hate country music so that's saying a lot.
Cheers to America's grandpa, George Strait.