George Strait – The Cowboy Rides Away: Live From AT&T Stadium (2014) [Official Digital Download 24bit/96kHz]

After three decades of hits, George Strait announced in 2012 he planned to retire after a final tour. Strait didn’t plan to abandon music — he went on record claiming that he still hoped to cut his traditional record a year — but big arena shows were starting to wear on him, so he launched The Cowboy Rides Away tour, allowing all of his fans one final chance to see him in their hometown. The 2014 live album commemorating that farewell tour captures the final show on the tour, a stop in Arlington, Texas on June 7, 2014 where a host of stars stopped by to celebrate Strait’s career. Some of the invited guests are only marginally associated with Strait — Sheryl Crow, in the middle of her country reinvention, feels a tad out of place even if she amiably smiles through “Here for a Good Time” — but there are plenty of old friends (Vince Gill, Alan Jackson), family (Bubba Strait), and new guns carrying the torch (Jason Aldean, Eric Church). The 20-song set list means there are many hits that didn’t make the cut, but never once do they cross your mind as the concert unfolds: this is all relaxed, easy, and effortlessly entertaining, a reminder of all Strait’s great gifts and evidence of why he’ll be missed. – Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Tracklist:
1-1. George Strait – Check Yes Or No (Live) (03:26)
1-2. George Strait – The Love Bug (Live) (03:03)
1-3. George Strait – Fool Hearted Memory (Live) (02:58)
1-4. George Strait – Arkansas Dave (Live) (03:51)
1-5. George Strait – Cowboys Like Us (Live) (03:16)
1-6. George Strait – That’s What Breaking Hearts Do (Live) (03:33)
1-7. George Strait – Marina Del Rey (Live) (04:19)
1-8. George Strait – Here For A Good Time (Live) (02:54)
1-9. George Strait – I Can Still Make Cheyenne (Live) (04:27)
1-10. George Strait – Jackson (Live) (03:11)
1-11. George Strait – A Showman’s Life (Live) (04:27)
1-12. George Strait – Murder On Music Row (Live) (04:48)
1-13. George Strait – The Chair (Live) (04:13)
1-14. George Strait – Give It All We Got Tonight (Live) (03:45)
1-15. George Strait – Run (Live) (03:47)
1-16. George Strait – I’ll Always Remember You (Live) (04:16)
1-17. George Strait – Ocean Front Property (Live) (03:17)
1-18. George Strait – Troubadour (Live) (02:57)
1-19. George Strait – All My Ex’s Live In Texas (Live) (03:28)
1-20. George Strait – The Cowboy Rides Away (Live) (07:06)