Who Could Forget George Strait’s Astrodome Performance Of “I Can Still Make Cheyenne”

George Strait’s debut live CD may include the word “last time” in the title, but that doesn’t imply it’s the singer’s last show. Instead, it chronicles the final Houston Livestock Show held in the Astrodome, a haven for country music acts ever since Gene Autry made his debut there in 1942.

George Strait recorded a song called “I Can Still Make Cheyenne,” written by Aaron Barker and Erv Woolsey. The song was the third single from Strait’s 1996 album Blue Clear Sky. Lyrically, it’s up to the audience to judge if the song’s protagonist, Cowboy, was careless with his lady love or if she abandoned him for someone who wasn’t a rodeo star. There is a repetition of the opening line in the song’s last stanza. One of the song’s defining characteristics is the heartfelt fiddle solo at the finale.

The fact that Strait closed out such a historic occasion as a musician speaks volumes about his standing in the state of Texas and the wider country music community. At this concert, Strait, now 50 years old but energized by the significance of the event, belts out a selection of his countless hits as if he were 20. His ever-present touring band, The Ace In The Hole Band, is responsible for some of that energy. For the Last Time is unique among Strait’s many albums in that all of the songs feature them.

Watch here.