With Sharply Different Approaches, Willie Nelson and George Strait Christen the Moody Center

Willie Nelson turned 45 on the day that I was born, which means, for score-keeping purposes, I have 364 days to become a singular American songwriter, record 23 albums, win two Grammys, play the premiere of a legendary music TV series, and smoke a supply of weed roughly the size of Rhode Island.

Willie Nelson with Billy English and Mickey Raphael performing at the Moody Center on Friday. (Photo by Gary Miller)

And then, over the next 45 years (my God, what even is 90 years old?), all that’s left to do is write and record another 70-something albums, grab 11 more Grammys, settle into the role of being an unquestioned American treasure and level up the cannabis game to Connecticut proportions.

Resumé wisecracks aside (but seriously, how?), the enduring songwriter’s most endearing qualities shined on Friday as he rolled into the premium, high-dollar Moody Center and fronted an understated five-piece combo that was sparse and allowed Nelson the space and restraint he needed as the sole guitar player for his roughly hour-long set. Nelson’s reserve and adventure was contrasted later by co-headliner George Strait’s maximum showbiz approach that strung 31 songs over 135 minutes with a crowd-pleasing delivery best described as “surgical.”

It’d be too simplistic to boil the two performances as a study of the clichéd “artist vs entertainer” construct, but it was hard to miss the difference in approach that shined a light on how the two have moved their careers forward at distinct vectors that still manage to connect and cross over with each other.

From the start of “Whiskey River,” the deluxe song-swap version of Nelson on hand for the night was intent on stretching and moving the songs in occasionally uncomfortable, discordant ways that also gave way to many moments of splendor.

The low-rumble shuffle of “Bloody Mary Morning” moved with an energy that felt like a flywheel, with the brushed snare drum, bass, and accessory percussion feeding off of each other and leading to the first spotlight moment of the night for harmonica player Mickey Raphael. That song’s understated economy gave way to the crowd service sing-along pomp of “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys,” creating a push/pull dynamic throughout Nelson’s set where the abrasive and dirge-like moments peppered in the playing of “Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground” were soon softened by the pop and ease of “On the Road Again,” and “Always on My Mind.”

If the crowd that weighed more toward attending for Strait’s headliner billing were at all put off by the crawl of “Ain’t It Funny” where Nelson wrestled with the strings of trusted acoustic guitar Trigger – or on a run through “Nightlife” where he seemed resolved on demolishing the song’s structure using Trigger as a blunt weapon – then they gave him slack when he noted he was marking the occasion of his 89th year by releasing the new album “A Beautiful Time,” and followed it up with the leadoff lament of “I’ll Love You Till the Day I Die.”

The newly 89-year-old Willie Nelson. (Photo by Gary Miller)

The set break pause gave a needed breath before Strait took the stage, which already featured the 11 members of his Ace In the Hole Band, introduced like a prizefighter with aggressive lighting effects and the not-subtle PA soundtrack of “Miles And Miles Of Texas.” What followed was two hours-plus of laser-accurate country music live performance showmanship with Strait making no attempt to disguise the fact that his objective for the night was check-every-box audience satisfaction for every one of the 15,000 or so in attendance.

The in-the-square stage setup let Strait rotate to all four corners at precise song intervals, helping the winking humor of “Ocean Front Property” connect up close with one quadrant of fans while later on another got an up-close, tender playing of “I Saw God Today.” For fans who have grown up with Strait’s four decades of consistent-as-running-water output, the night was worth every dollar of the eye-gouging secondary market ticket prices (cheap seats $400-plus, with floor spots fetching $1,300 or more) and beers and cocktails that commanded $12 and $16, respectively.

Clearly we’re past the days of cheap beers and liquor that Strait called back to, fondly chronicling his humble early years, in “Every Little Honky Tonk Bar.”

King George at the grand opening of the Moody Center (Photo by Ryan Vestil)

There were a few notable and welcome changeups. One came with a presentation of a new home to a Military Warriors Support Foundation member that was bookended by heartfelt playings of “The Weight Of The Badge” and “The Fireman.” And Strait’s multiple thanks and verbal odes to Nelson flowered with the two joining forces on “Sing One With Willie” and “Pancho and Lefty” before Strait led the crowd in singing happy birthday to the fellow Texan songsmith.

When the two came together briefly it captured how their distinct approaches to heartland song can not simply coexist, but elevate each other, with Nelson’s color and improvisation adding a weight to the precision and study of Strait and his band. That adventure returned briefly at the end of the night, with a cover of Tom Petty’s “You Wreck Me” providing for violin and acoustic guitar solos that were two of the most musically distinct moments of Strait’s whole set. It didn’t suggest that there’s any dramatic creative turn coming for one of the most reliable and bankable performers in country music, but that song and the Nelson pairing showed that Strait knows the value of allowing just enough contrast to let the send-‘em-home-happy anthem “The Cowboy Rides Away” his with maximum pleasure center impact.

Willie Nelson Set List
Whiskey River
Still Is Still Moving To Me
Bloody Mary Morning
Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys
Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground
On The Road Again
Always On My Mind
Roll Me Up And Smoke Me When I Die
I Never Cared For You
Georgia On My Mind
Fast Train To Georgia
I’ll Love You Till The Day I Die
Good Hearted Woman
Ain’t It Funny
Crazy/Nightlife
Hey, Good Lookin’
Move It On Over
Will The Circle Be Unbroken
It’s Hard To Be Humble

George Strait Set List
Here For A Good Time
` Ocean Front Property
Check Yes Or No
I Can Still Make Cheyenne
` I Gotta Get You
Marina Del Rey
I Got A Car
I Saw God Today
Every Little HonkTonk Bar
I Ain’t Her Cowboy Anymore
Easy Come, Easy Go
That’s What Breaking Hearts Do
Give It Away
Codigo
Waymore’s Blues
The Weight Of The Badge
The Fireman
The Chair
Sing One With Willie
Pancho and Lefty
Amarillo By Morning
Run
Come On Joe
Adalida
I’ll Always Remember You
Troubadour
Unwound
[encore]
All My Ex’s Live In Texas
Take Me To Texas
You Wreck Me
The Cowboy Rides Away