(NewsNation) — Country music star George Strait has another record to brag about: this weekend, he performed at the largest concert ever held in the United States.
The attendance record had previously been held by the Grateful Dead, with 107,019 people at their show at Raceway Park in New Jersey, in 1977, according to Billboard. On Saturday at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas, Strait beat them, Billboard wrote, singing to a crowd of 110,905.
“What’s going on everybody?” Strait said at the concert. “We got some Aggies out there? Oh yeah! I’m ashamed to say this, but this is my first time to ever be in Kyle Field… damn! Just invite me back, I’ll come!”
Parker McCollum and Catie Offerman joined Strait on stage Saturday, where he debuted new songs: “MIA in MIA” and “The Little Things.” These songs are set to be part of Strait’s new album “Cowboys and Dreamers,” set to be released on Sept. 6.
Billboard notes Strait is no stranger to setting records, as he also has the most No.1 singles of any artist in any genre. He’s also the only artist to have a top 10 hit every year for 30 years, with the most No.1 albums, gold albums and platinum albums in the history of country music.
Strait’s notable attendance numbers come at a time when other major artists are reportedly having to cancel concerts and tours or play at smaller venues, as NBC noted in an article earlier this month.
Dave Clark, an editor of Ticket News, told NBC that one factor could be consumer fatigue due to high ticket prices. Supply issues, he said, with many acts touring at once, could also be contributing.
“It’s just a very overloaded market,” Clark said.
