George Strait’s Record-Breaking Concert Was ‘Immensely Gratifying’ for the Country Star

Country star George Strait ain’t chopped liver when it comes to drawing a crowd — even if his former opening act Taylor Swift is cleaning up worldwide on her groundbreaking Eras Tour.

The 72-year-old singer broke the U.S. record for the largest ticketed non-festival concert by lassoing 110,905 fans into the football stadium at Texas A&M University on June 15 — beating the mark set by the band The Grateful Dead in 1977.

“This is immensely gratifying for George,” a friend exclusively tells Closer. “When he found out he just had the biggest concert ever for one artist, he said, ‘I guess this old cowboy still has a few rides left in him!'”

But the success comes with a tinge of melancholy after George’s longtime manager Erv Woolsey and his band’s fiddle player, Gene Elders, died in March, and tour manager Tom Foote passed away in April — leaving George without his most trusted friends and musical partners.

While George has shared privately about hanging it up after this tour and retiring on a cattle ranch, a confidante says his continued success makes it hard for him to stop.

“George fondly recalls bringing Taylor on his 2007 tour when she was just starting out,” says the pal.

“He’s proud of what she has accomplished — but his loyal fans are just as crazy about him as the Swifties are about her!”