Chris Stapleton and George Strait Concert

We did not go to the very beginning of the concert, thought we would miss some of the traffic snarl by arriving after Little Big Town opens - wrong! Many others had the same thought. Ford didn't know how he would do if we arrived before LBT, sitting so long. All went well getting there if you had patience - I dropped him off on the West side of the stadium, which was where our tickets were (Section 205 Row Y). He did get a ride, a nice guy picked him up. I parked in Lot E reserved parking, nice area, just on the East side of the stadium.
Once at our seats, we enjoyed the view, and the weather was great! The sun set behind us and temperature dropped to 68 - 70 degrees, perfect day! I went to buy one beer to share, but could not find any local beers - only "tall boy" cans of major brands. So we drank water - no alcohol.

Chris Stapleton rocked the stadium, mind blowing loud! Everyone enjoyed singing along to his songs. After about a 40 minute break/set up, George Strait was on the stage, he tried to show energy, but I saw him as forcing his effort. He didn't sing as many hits as I would have liked, and he stopped the concert for about 15 minutes to present a home to a veteran and spouse; very nice, but the announcer took his time (probably planned to give George a break). All in all, glad we saw him, my opinion is that it is time for him to retire (note that he did have a farewell tour in 2014). He had a great concert with the other two bands, he played from 9:35 p.m. until 11:45 (we left at 11:20, listening to his songs as we slowly made our way to the parking lot). The Times-Union review (read below) was definitely glowing and respectful.

Caught the screen shot from Stephanie and Adam. We ran into Scott and Ruby Anderson as we were leaving - listened to the final 3 - 5 songs, left to beat the traffic - I think a third of the concert goers thought the same! We figure many came just for Chris Stapleton. 

Concert review: Strait, Stapleton turn Jacksonville into a honky tonk for stadium show by Tom Szaroleta, Jacksonville Florida Times-Union. If there is one guy who deserves to have his star behind the bar at the Honky Tonk Hall of Fame, it's gotta be George Strait.

"Honky Tonk Hall of Fame" is a new song Strait played Saturday night in front of 50,000 or so fans in Jacksonville's EverBank Stadium. It was written by Chris Stapleton, one of the openers for Saturday's show, and it's so new that Strait and Stapleton stared each other down as they sang it, as if each one was scared he'd forget a line. They pulled it off perfectly and it's clearly going to be another big hit for Strait. The guy has 40-something Number One hits in a career that stretches back to the early '80s.

There are players who have been in Strait's Ace in the Hole Band for decades and it shows. No one ever steps forward for a solo — some of them don't even stand up — but they know how to deliver the goods. If you wanted traditional Western, complete with fiddles and steel guitar, there was plenty to be had ("Amarillo by Morning," "I Can Still Make Cheyenne," "How 'Bout Them Cowgirls"). Big singalongs? "Ocean Front Property," "Check Yes or No" and "All My Exes Live in Texas" ought to qualify.

"Honky Tonk Hall of Fame" wasn't the only new song in Strait's set. He said he has a new album, "Cowboys and Dreamers," ready for release. Saturday night, he played "Three Drinks Behind," Waylon Jennings' "Waymore Blues" and "MIA in MIA," a salute to life in South Florida.

Stapleton, who also sang a verse of "Pancho & Lefty" and all of "You Don't Know What You're Missing" with Strait, might seem an unlikely pairing with the Texan. His opening set, which lasted for about 90 minutes, was much more bluesy than Strait's, opening with "White Horse," which he played a few weeks ago on "Saturday Night Live."

 "Second One to Know" and getting slow and bluesy on "I Think I'm in Love With You." Stapleton brought the house down twice with nods toward the Jacksonville music scene - when he stood center stage with his electric guitar and picked out a few verses of "Free Bird." the second was at the end of his show, as he introduced his crack band. He brought out Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks from Jacksonville's Tedeschi Trucks Band to join them on "Tennessee Whiskey."