JUST IN! George Strait Brings the Circle Home: The King Announces Two In-the-Round Austin Shows for 2026
- All Country News
- 4 hours ago
- 2 min read
By the time George Strait steps into the center of the Moody Center floor in April, it won’t just be another pair of tour dates, it’ll feel like a homecoming wrapped in a victory lap.
The King of Country has announced two intimate, in-the-round arena shows in Austin, Texas, set for Thursday, April 9, and Saturday, April 11, 2026. Tickets go on sale Friday, January 30 at 10 a.m. local time via georgestrait.com, and if recent history is any indication, they won’t last long.
For Strait, who has spent the last few years carefully curating fewer, bigger, more meaningful live appearances, the move feels both strategic and sentimental. These Austin dates arrive amid a slate of high-profile stadium shows already booked for Clemson, South Carolina, and Lubbock, Texas, underscoring the deliberate balance he’s now striking between massive spectacle and close-to-the-heart connection.
And that connection will be literal. Both Austin shows are designed “in-the-round,” placing Strait center stage, surrounded on all sides by fans. It’s a format that strips away distance and hierarchy, turning a concert into something more communal, more storytelling circle than stadium sermon.
Fans can expect a setlist that stitches together decades of timeless hits with fresh favorites from Strait’s latest album, Cowboys and Dreamers. It’s a project that reaffirmed his enduring relevance, pairing the seasoned wisdom of a living legend with the emotional clarity that has always been his calling card.
Opening both nights will be fellow Texas native and rising star William Beckmann, a newcomer whose classic-country lean and heartfelt delivery make him a natural fit for the occasion. It’s a quietly symbolic passing of the torch moment: one Texan great inviting another into the glow.
The announcement also arrives in the long shadow of Strait’s historic 2024 performance at Kyle Field, where 110,905 fans packed Texas A&M’s stadium for George Strait: The King at Kyle Field, one of the largest single-ticketed concerts in U.S. history. It was a career-defining exclamation point that proved, yet again, Strait’s unmatched drawing power.
He followed that landmark show with just five live appearances in 2025, hitting Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Buffalo, Foxboro, and Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium, further cementing the sense that every George Strait concert is now an event, not just a date on a tour calendar.
GEORGE STRAIT – 2026 AUSTIN ARENA SHOWS
In the Round at Moody Center
Thursday, April 9, 2026
Saturday, April 11, 2026
Special Guest: William Beckmann
Tickets on sale: Friday, January 30, 2026 at 10 a.m. local time
More info: georgestrait.com
For fans, this isn’t just another concert announcement. It’s a reminder that even in an era of ever-bigger tours and louder spectacles, George Strait still knows the power of stepping into the middle of the room and letting the music do the rest.
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