So far, 2010 hasn’t exactly been the kindest year to recording artists on tour. Because of slow sales, many tours have had to cut back or cancel completely. That problem doesn’t seem to be affecting country legend George Strait all that much, at least not in the first half of the year. Pollstar.com recently released two lists about top tours; the first is the “Top 100 North American Tours” and the second is the “Top 50 Worldwide Tours.” The list ranks artists by total gross based on the first half of 2010: shows that took place from Jan. 1, 2010 to June 30, 2010.

On the North American list, George Strait ranked in at number five for his tour with Reba McEntire and Lee Ann Womack. For the first half of the year, the tour grossed $29.8 million. In that time, the tour played in 20 different cities and sold 344,186 tickets. Strait and friends were outranked by Bon Jovi, James Taylor with Carole King, Taylor Swift and Paul McCartney. The trio didn’t do any shows outside of North America, but they still managed to come in at number 17 on the worldwide tours list. Outranking them were AC/DC, Bon Jovi, Metallica, James Taylor with Carole King, Lady Gaga, Michael Buble, Taylor Swift, “Walking with Dinosaurs,” Eric Clapton, John Mayer, Paul McCartney, Cirque du Soleil – “Quidam,” Whitney Houston, Depeche Mode and Nickelback.

Strait took some time off in the early part of the summer, but his tour with Reba McEntire and Lee Ann Womack will kick off again in September. George Strait tickets begin to go on sale near the end of July, and fans can find theirs online. The next leg of the tour kicks off Sept. 9th at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. From there, the tour travels around the country to spots like Lexington, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Minneapolis and many more. Strait is known for putting on an unforgettable show for fans, which is perhaps why he has one of the most loyal followings in country music.

It isn’t just fans who can’t get enough of the magic of George Strait. Other musicians also look up to the way he has progressed in his career. According to The Boot, Charles Kelley of Lady Antebellum says the next generation of country artists looks to be friends rather than competitors, taking the example set by more veteran stars. He said, “We’re all like-minded, with similar interests, and at the top of that list is music. I don’t think you see that so much in any other genre of music, where people form friendships like you see in country music. When you see people like Reba [McEntire], Brooks & Dunn, George Strait, where they’re close, we’d love to have that kind of thing among all of us.”

George Strait is currently touring in support of his latest album, 2009’s Twang, which has yielded singles like the title track and “Living for the Night.” Each show is a chance for fans to hear his newest hits as well as some old favorite from this legendary country star.

Author Bio: This article was sponsored by StubHub.com. Silagra StubHub sells tickets to sporting events, concerts and theater productions. Go to StubHub.com for George Strait tickets.

Category: Music
Keywords: George Strait, music, concert, tickets, country