By Jennifer Chancellor
World Scene Writer
The BOK Center was close to its 17,000 capacity for Thursday night's concert, starring King of Country George Strait and his sultry songbird sidekick, Martina McBride.
A tried-and-true, old-school country man through and through, Strait headlined the night with a strong and understated set.
Strait didn't talk much, either. "It sure is good to be back," he said, then explained "we got a whole lotta songs to get through tonight."
He then strode from one song into another, including "Amarillo By Morning," "Twang," "All My Ex's Live In Texas," "Arkansas Dave," "A Showman's Life," "Drinkin' Man," "The Chair," "Give It Away," "Living For The Night" and "Where Have I Been All My Life."
He's well-known for avoiding the glitz and going strait for the gut. He pounded home twangy honky-tonk favorites with a white-hot spotlight centered mainly on himself. It glittered off the pearl inlay on the neck of his guitar that spelled out his name. It glinted from his honey-hued guitar. This all made his music -- his undeniable lyrical talent and skill -- the focus as he played more than two dozen of his biggest hits.
"When I first started this, I thought I'd have five good years ... And here I am going on 30," he said with a broad smile.
Tunes included "Here for a Good Time," "Ocean Front Property," "I Gotta Get to You," "I Saw God Today," "Unwound," "Troubadour," "I'll Always Remember You," "Check Yes or No," "I Can Still Make Cheyenne," "Wrapped," "How 'Bout Them Cowgirls," "Run" and more.
His vocals spilled out with the ease of friendly conversation.
Fans chanted to every syllable and flooded the stage, already filled with 11 backing musicians, with electricity. His introduction of his Ace In The Hole backing band won a half-minute standing ovation.
Fans dressed in plaid button-down work shirts, boots, bedazzled jeans, oversized cowboy hats. Dress was casual, the atmosphere palpable with chatter of a night filled with some of the genre's biggest hits. Strait wore his trademark starched button-down plaid shirt, 10-gallon hat, oversized belt buckle and legs clad in sturdy denim.
The setup for this limited engagement, 11-stop tour was "in the round," with the stage in the middle of the arena floor. There wasn't a bad seat in the house as the star of each set made his or her way around guitar stands, multiple microphones, drum sets, keyboards and sound monitors.
Both Strait and McBride examined every fan in every corner of the room. Projection screens hung from the ceiling and amplified every glance, every nod, every wink and every smile.
McBride opened the night. Like country gentlemen, the crowd stood to welcome McBride as she walked through the crowd to center stage. She wore in black in mile-high patent leather heels, svelte sequined leggings and a cowl-necked, shimmering tunic.
"How you doing, Tulsa!?" she yelled as the crowd remained on its feet. Her seven-piece backing band never overpowered her soaring vocals. The leading lady circled the stage like a jaguar, roaring out pitch-perfect vocals.
Her set was spotless as she performed more than an hour of music, including "One Night," "Wild Angels," "My Baby Loves Me" and a new hit she introduced as a "sassy little number," "Whatcha Gonna Do."
On stage, McBride isn't a country singer. Not even close.
With her nods to God, faith and love, Martina McBride is a soul singer with a (very, very good) country band.
Acoustic and electric guitars melded with a steel guitar, rhythm guitar, bass guitar (that's a lot of guitar), drums and keyboards. McBride wielded her instrument -- her voice -- as Thursday night's queen of the country jungle. Unlike Strait, McBride chatted up her fans in beween tunes.
The Kansas native's set also included the wine drinking tune "Wrong Baby Wrong." Her ardent tribute to cancer survivors, "I'm Gonna Love You Through It," showed one couple in the front row in tears as a camera swept over them. She also dedicated "Teenage Daughters" to her own two teenage daughters. "Lord help us all," she joked, then followed with her own story of how hard it is to tour without her children, "Long Distance Lullaby."
McBride could have easily as headlined Thursday's show -- the dark-maned vocalist's expressive vocals carried her audience away.
Even so, she was grateful to be part of it all.
"Thank you," she said between nearly every song. "I think I may the luckiest girl in the world tonight ... I'm on tour with George Straight, y'all!"
