Saturday night’s cold, drizzly weather did not keep 400 San Angeloans away from Shenanigan’s Sports Bar and Grill. The bar was packed wall to wall with country music fans who were highly anticipating the King George Band: A Tribute to George Strait.
When the Dallas/Fort Worth natives took the stage at 9:45 p.m., the audience looked toward the stage with mesmerized glares as the band opened the show with the 1993 hit, “Check Yes or No;” however, it was “You Look So Good In Love” that brought out the dancers and kept the floor highly occupied for every single song after.
The audience's enthusiasm also filled the bar as they sang every word to “All My Exes Live in Texas.” That enthusiasm continued when, during a brief intermission, keyboardist Steve Farrington did his flawless impression of Willie Nelson's “Angels Flying Too Close to the Ground.”
Additionally, the 1992 Pure Country film favorite, “Cross My Heart,” performed by Strait, or the film's protagonist, Dusty, made the set list. The King George Band’s frontman, Dusty Deaton, shares that name ironically.
“Blue Clear Sky,” “If You’re Thinking You Want a Stranger,” and “Ocean Front Property” were just a few more of the 55 number one hits performed by the King George Band on Saturday night. Sadly, the show came to an end with “The Cowboy Rides Away,” leaving the audience wanting more.
In regards to the show, Deaton stated, “I feel really, really great about it. It’s everything I figured San Angelo would be. I’ve never played here before, and just it being the heart of Texas, I was really confident that there was going to be a lot of really true country music fans and George Strait fans, and [the audience] proved me right.”
The success of Saturday’s night show was greatly due to the significant level of talent possessed by each musician. The vocals were perfectly on key, the fiddle sounded just like the records, but the most notable part of the show was the pedal steel guitar, an instrument fans will not likely find in any other small show.
Twenty-eight year old Robbie Saunders has only been playing steel guitar for three years, but even the most seasoned musician would guess that he has been at it for at least 10. His contribution to the full dance floor is what makes playing worthwhile.
“When you see a floor full of people dancing, you realize that is the living tradition of country music,” Saunders stated. “What it’s about is a ‘living dance floor.’”
The dancers were not the only people who went home impressed that night. Derrick Hoffman, owner of Shenanigan’s, said, “The band was awesome; very professional and sounded great.” Additionally, he was more than pleased with the turnout, and stated that he will be bringing King George back for rodeo season in February.
Between now and then, there are a few exciting events on the Shenanigan’s calendar for the month of December. On the 4th, they will have Baby Grand Dueling Pianos, UFC will be shown on the 5th, and they are working on getting an AC/DC tribute band for the 19th.
For more information on what is happening at Shenanigan’s, they can be found on Facebook by clicking here.
To learn more about the King George Band and follow their events, visit their Facebook page here.
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