George Strait, Chris Stapleton inspire awe in sold-out Nissan Stadium crowd

As Country Music icon George Strait took center stage at Nissan Stadium Friday night, it didn't matter that Nashville was in the grip of a heat wave or that the sold out crowd was overheated.

He performed. They listened.

For five hours, the 71-year-old Country Music Hall of Famer, joined by Chris Stapleton and Little Big Town — gifted artists in their own right — held court, often leaving the crowd's mind comfortably blown under their cowboy hats.

Why does "The King of Country Music" reign supreme?

Strait still approaches the art of singing with a steel-eyed glare and the type of demeanor favored by men whose adoration of romantic love is elevated to the highest art.

Contemplate this notion while Strait sings his tongue-in-cheek 1987 classic "All My Ex's Live in Texas," 1995's "Check Yes Or No," or 2006's honestly heartbroken "Give It Away." Via Strait's tenor, the vitality of country music's perpetual romantic appeal is never more apparent.

Also key is the feeling that, at any point, a National Football League stadium could've turned into a beer-soaked Fort Worth or San Antonio dance floor. Early in his set, the persistent fiddle in his nearly four-decade-old, top-five, gold-selling single "The Fireman" invited the sold-out crowd to consider that honky-tonking doesn't just happen in Tennessee. It also happens — and maybe best — in Strait's home state of Texas.

Moreover, in the wake of the surge of acts like Cody Johnson and Lainey Wilson reviving country music's Western influence, Strait's ballads like "Amarillo by Morning," "Blue Clear Sky," "Cheyenne" and show closer "The Cowboy RIdes Away" are delivered with unmistakable authenticity learned from both personal and professional experience.

As a live performer, Strait's age is doubly virtuous in that, to make a racing metaphor, he's achieved front runner status and still been able to lap his own leading pace on occasion.

Chris Stapleton's humble yet instantly classic performance

Chris Stapleton's recent honors as the Academy of Country Music's 2023 Entertainer of the Year and 2022 Merle Haggard Spirit Award recipient have elevated his already peerless status as a country music superstar.

However, his Nissan Stadium set was marked by a profound humility in opening for George Strait, the universally beloved "King of Country Music."

"We'll be playing as much music as possible in the time we have," Stapleton said Friday, treating the crowd of 50,000 as if they were 100 times smaller at a Lower Broadway honky-tonk.

During his 90-minute set, he carefully eased into a comfortable groove, punctuated by the first note of his COVID-19 quarantine-era favorite, "You Should Probably Leave." Despite the 90-degree dusk, the crowd rose to its feet and two-stepped to the bluesy, soulful sounds.

"White Horse," the lead single from Stapleton's November-arriving fifth studio album "Higher," offers a tight, seasoned band blending the best elements of 70s-era Southern rock with their lead singer's now trademark growling rasp.

The magic of Stapleton's live art is tied to his and his band's competence in the core, fundamental elements of country and rock's most mythologically venerated eras.

For 2020's "Cold" followed by a snippet of Lynyrd Skynyrd's 1973 epic "Free Bird" and "Traveller" album favorite "The Devil Named Music," when blues, folk and soul expectations are also met, the only response from the crowd was the lifting of cell phone lights.

Little Big Town's athletic feat

With the sun just beginning its daily descent and a heat index exceeding 105 degrees at 5:45 p.m. Friday in Nashville, multiple-time chart-topping country act Little Big Town began to perform. And yes, while there was a massive cooling system installed onstage, the idea that Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Phillip Sweet and Jimi Westbrook could emerge from the set without either A) drinking copious amounts of water and B) not sweating profusely seemed impossible.

But there they were, and as "Pontoon" gave way to "Better Man" and "Girl Crush" was followed by "Wine, Beer and Whiskey," the quartet's vocal strength appeared to improve.

The performance conditioning required to be a successful touring artist frequently goes without mentioning.

Whether it's Garth Brooks signing autographs for 23 hours at 1996's CMA Fest, Taylor Swift performing in the rain at Nissan Stadium or Little Big Town's impressive work at the same venue Friday evening, it's all impressive and significant.

"Tennessee Whiskey" and "Pancho and Lefty"

But, back to Stapleton for a minute.

He's a humble country music craftsman whose magnificent control of the genre feels hard-earned — and sweat-drenched — on this particular Friday.

As for Strait, when he's in his vocal pocket, he and his band melt an audience with sounds that approach the euphoria of dining the creamiest, sweetest and most delicious butter imaginable. Together, Strait and Stapleton were something approaching bliss.

As George Strait's opener, Stapleton finished his 90-minute set by performing his well-respected cover of David Allan Coe's 1981 classic "Tennessee Whiskey." As much as — via a 1983 cover — that song was emblematic of the latter stages of George Jones' iconic career, it's primarily belonged to Stapleton since 2015.

Onstage, his version of the 42-year-old classic recalled Coe and Jones' early acclaim with the song, plus how he and Justin Timberlake's version together at the 2015 CMA Awards was a moment that redefined country music's modern history. Add in a moment also recalling Ray Charles' importance as one of country's most dynamic crossover stars ever and it was one of the evening's defining moments.

However, when Stapleton walked back onstage and joined his longtime friend Strait to perform Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson's duet "Pancho and Lefty," he eclipsed his own greatness with Strait's assistance.

The duo's take on the legendary Townes Van Zandt's classic was the equal amount of Stapleton's rugged saltiness with Strait's unique sweetness. Much like the show in total, it was a brilliant complementary moment.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: George Strait, Chris Stapleton inspire awe in sold-out Nissan Stadium crowd