The 18th Annual George Strait Team Roping Classic Is Just Around The Corner The George Strait Team Roping team, in addition to their cash earnings, and cash while the third place team will Classic, recognized by everyone as one of will drive away in Chevy Truck twin cab get their cash and Team Roping Classic the most prestigious events in the sport, duly pickups pulling new Bruton Trailers. buckles. n has been set for July 7th and 8th at the The second place team will receive saddle San Antonio Rose Palace in San Antonio, Texas. The 2000 event, for the first time, will focus exclusively on Team Roping as no concert will take place. Coliseum Concert Scores, A hot line for the Team Roping Classic has been set up with all the latest informa- First Music Event Pulls 50,000 Fans tion at 210-698-9251. Information on the Written by Tom Roland, Staff Writer for 10 hours.” area is available by calling the Boerne The Tennessean, Nashville, TN More than 50,000 people showed up for Chamber of Commerce at 830-249-8000. The first music event in Adelphia the concert, the first test of the coliseum as Local motels offering special rates are: Coliseum was more than just a concert. a music venue. There were seemingly few It was more like the Tennessee Strait complaints among concert-goers. Days Inn............................210-696-7922 Fair. Bennett’s friend Rachel Tiller was among Comfort Inn......................210-696-7922 Oh, sure, the music — provided by the few naysayers. Seated on the main Hawthorn Suites ..............210-561-9660 George Strait, Tim McGraw, Martina floor, she was unable to see either the Homestead Village............210-691-0121 McBride and others — was the focal stage or any of the three video screens that Roadway Inn ....................210-698-3991 point. But Straitland, a section west of the showed close-up images of Mark Chesnutt Super 8..............................210-696-6916 coliseum accessible to ticket-holders, and Lee Ann Womack. People on their feet offered plenty of diversions during the in front of her blocked her view, and secu- As usual, many of the greatest ropers in show, slated to last more than nine hours. rity prevented fans from standing on their the country are expected to attend the Straitland featured carnival food, such as chairs. George Strait Team Roping Classic as sev- corn dogs and funnel cakes; a small mid- “I’m over it,” she lamented. eral hundred teams should register by the way with a dart game and basketball toss; Others basked in the event, Kenny June 27th deadline. Team Ropers can reg- and numerous exhibit booths, where visi- Chesney had the crowd on its feet, singing ister on June 26th and 27th from 5-10 tors could pick up U.S. Tobacco give- along to “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy,” p.m. by calling 210-698-9251. The entry aways or get a temporary “Chevy Trucks” “How Forever Feels” and a brief chorus of fee is $400 per team and each roper will tattoo to go with their sunburns. Jimmy Buffett’s “Margaritaville.” One be able to enter up to three times, each “It’s a good way to pass the time till the couple slow-danced on the grass just out- with a different partner. An estimated main attraction,” said Roxanne Bennett of side the south end of the coliseum. Others prize package of more than $150,000 is Hohenwald, Tenn. “It kinda breaks up the rested in the shade under small trees with- expected to be up for grabs. The winning day, so we don’t feel like we’re sittin’here Continued on following page S T R A I T T A L K Coliseum Concert Scores, First Music Event Pulls 50,000 Fans (Continued from page 1) in earshot of the music. The coliseum also held fewer fans. While “I’m tryin’to conserve on money,” he “We found out actually it’s a very good Titans games sell out at about 67,000 tick- said. concert venue,” stadium general manager ets, the stage yesterday was set on the Stadium visitors might well have had to Bill Dickerson said. “The way it was set northern end zone, eliminating seats conserve their energy, too. The show up, we’ve got a lot of power down back behind it, as well as seven sections of seats began at 1 p.m. in bright, early summerish behind the stage. We’ve got about 3,200 on either concourse. weather, and ran until just past 10 p.m. amps, which is really unheard of in a The 50,000-plus who did come yesterday Alan Jackson arrived around 3 p.m. and venue such as ours. Most of the time (the were greeted with stiff prices. T-shirts made an unannounced appearance later in acts) have to bring in generators.” were $25, with one jersey going for $45, the evening to sing “Murder On Music Fans who arrived early seemed satisfied and a Strait Windbreaker was selling for Row” with Strait. And Faith Hill arrived with parking options. Those who trickled $65. Beer was $5, bottled water was $3. with her husband, Tim McGraw. in later had farther to walk. Jamie Strader of Kentucky predicted he With many concert-goers visiting the col- Unlike at Titans football games, where and his wife would spend $300-$350 for iseum for the first time, the Strait fair had fans are generally insistent about arriving the day. By contrast, John Murphy, 15, of plenty of them sold — not just on the in time to see the opening kickoff, numer- Hopkinsville, KY, had spent $4 for a drink music, but also on the venue. ous ticketholders rolled in well after open- and hoped he could minimize the rest of “I’ll be back for a football game, proba- ing act Asleep at the Wheel took the stage. his spending. bly,” Bennett beamed.n Strait And Crew Rev Up Crowd At The Speedway Written by Ken Garfield, Staff Writer cert stage outside the speedway, country Among those who performed on the 300- The Charlotte Observer, April 30, 2000 merchandise booths and enough music to foot-long stage erected on pit row was More than 55,000 people died and went make your ears ring. Womack, Mark Chestnut, the band Asleep to country music heaven Saturday night. Not even a late afternoon storm that left at the Wheel and Chesney, who may have Actually, they went to the George Strait water and mud everywhere could douse been the surprise hit of the day with a Country Music Festival at Lowe’s Motor the spirit of a crowd that had come to boo- high-energy set that gave the crowd what Speedway. Given an entire day of top- gie. Rock concerts have mosh pits. This it wanted — a lot of fast stuff. flight music and a great party atmosphere, concert had a mud pit where men slid The big three of the day, though, came this was as close to bliss as a two-stepper across the infield grass and a few women on after the rain stopped and the tempera- is going to get on this Earth. mud wrestled. tures cooled. You want a moment that captures one of During Chesney’s performance, two Martina McBride, in tight black leather the biggest one-night concert stands in women stripped down to their bathing pants, ran through all her hits, getting the Charlotte musical history? suits, then put back on their jeans and rain- biggest rise out of the crowd on the faster It’s pouring down rain as Kenny coats, while an admiring man behind them ones. Chesney breaks into his signature hit. gave them a high five when they were “Independence Day,” her signature song, “She Thinks My Tractor’s Sexy.” done. revved up the crowd, as did “Wild Instead of running for cover, Mark The lines for the lady’s restroom went Angels” and a great cover of an old Bryant, 30, of Galax, Va., doesn’t get any forever. The concourse under the stands Johnny Nash rock hit, “I Can See Clearly better than this as he stomps his cowboy was a constant traffic jam. The police and Now.” boots into 2 inches of rain puddles. His emergency officials reported only minor Tim McGraw followed her to the stage, black T-shirt pretty much said it all. “It’s a problems. The crowd was too much into also in black leather pants and also juicing bubba think. No body understands.” music and fun to cause trouble. up the crowd with his faster hits. Saturday’s festival opened the summer There was even a marriage proposal right “Down on the Farm” got a redneck roar long George Strait series of Woodstock- after Lee Ann Womack’s entertaining set. going. During “Just to See You Smile,” a style festivals that included a second con- The woman accepted. Continued on following page S T R A I T T A L K Strait And Crew Rev Up Crowd At The Speedway (continued) woman standing on two chairs shrieked, 8:30 p.m., when Strait took the stage. gave the crowds all that it came for — “He’s a man, he’s a man.” Nearly eight hours after the music from “The Chair” to “Write This Down” He got his biggest reaction near the end cranked up, the sun and the temperature to his signature song, “Heartland.” of his set with his trademark lyric. “I like having gone down, Strait ran through a A lyric from “Heartland” pretty much it, I love it, I want some more of it.” pure country set of his greatest hits.