COUNTRY KICKOFF

George & Reba Rock the House as the home of Super Bowl XLV stages its first event.

By Nick Eatman | Dallascowboys.com

Thursday, July 29, 2010 - 11:31am

For the first time ever, George Strait and Reba McEntire performed at the same concert.

ARLINGTON, Texas - The old stadium was built for football, but housed a few other things, too.

But this massive place called Cowboys Stadium — home to Super Bowl XLV in just over 600 days — was built for everything.

And that "everything" part began here Saturday night with a smashing debut for the new stadium as George Strait and Reba McEntire rocked the house, or more like a mansion, filled with an announced crowd of 60,188.

Even the earlier acts of Blake Shelton and last-minute addition Lee Ann Womack, who filled in Julianne Hough, who couldn't perform because of an illness, put on quite a show for the country-loving crowd.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who helped fund the majority of the $1.1 billion stadium, watched the event, along with his family and friends, at his own personal suite on the 50-yard line.

"This has been an incredible night. It is everything we dreamed and more," Jones said. "After almost 10 years of working toward this day, it has been a joy to see the reaction of everyone coming through the doors.

"And I can't say enough about George Strait, Reba, Blake and Lee Ann. The crowd has just been electric and we are all feeding off that energy."

George Strait, widely known as the King of Country Music, officially took the stage at 9:40 p.m. (CDT), more than four hours after Womack kicked off the event, and the new stadium.

About halfway through Strait's performance, the Cowboys opened up the roof, providing a bit of breeze throughout the electric stadium.

The crowd roared all night long, but were particularly loud when George Strait labeled himself a "huge Cowboys fan," when he personally sang "Happy Birthday" to former Cowboys great Bill Bates, who was in attendance, and even in one lyrics of "If It Wasn't For Texas" when he mentions the Cowboys in the Super Bowl.

Another loud ovation occurred when the giant video board showed former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson chatting with Jones in the owner's suite. Other notable attendants included Jason Witten, Troy Aikman and many other coaches and players.

But even before George hit the stage, the place was rocking from the beginning. At officially 5:25 p.m. (CDT), Womack opened the night. Fresh off the beach, Womack got a phone call some 24 hours before the event as the concert officials scrambled for a replacement for Hough, who came down with strep throat.

Womack has been an award-winning country artist for the last 10 years, so she was a more than adequate fill-in. Shelton took the stage with a Miller Lite beer in his hand, much to the liking of the fans, and probably the Cowboys, as well, considering Miller is the official beer sponsor of the Cowboys.

Shelton might have had the line of the night when he spoke to the audience and said "what a thrill it is to play before the King and Queen of country music."

This was the first-ever concert that both McEntire and Strait performed together.

It was quite an evening, not just for the performers and the fans, but all the people who have helped make the night a reality.

"It's such an exciting night," said Cowboys spokesman Brett Daniels, who has been with the organization for 20 years. "I've seen this thing since the early construction. It's a phenomenal experience and really a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for everyone in our organization. To see it all come together tonight was really special."

There were a few minor setbacks that included a handful of fans suffering heat exhaustion as they waited to enter the building, some counterfeit parking passes and even the PA announcer introduced the venue as "Texas Stadium" to the crowd.

Still, Daniels said the night was certainly a success.

"It was funny because I pulled up this morning and got out of my car and I've been putting on my safety vest and hard hat for the last three years, and for the first time in three years, I said 'I don't need that anymore.' This is the first time I've ever been here without those things."

Daniels said he wasn't surprised the stadium was ready by the start of the concert, but there were some tense moments along the way.

"I think it's been a race against the clock the entire way," he said. "There were some times when you had to wonder just how close this place was going to be. But everyone did such a great job of getting this thing ready."

There are still plenty of aspects of the stadium that need some work. It's likely many of them will be ready before the next event, when the Jonas Brothers come town for the June 20 concert. The upcoming events after that include a pair of international soccer matches - the 2009 Gold Cup on July 19 and then the World Football Challenge between Club America and Chelsea on July 26.

The Cowboys' first preseason game is Aug. 21 against Tennessee, followed by another exhibition game Aug. 29 against San Francisco.

There will be a lot more "firsts" for the stadium along the way.

But there's only one "first event" overall. And leave it to the "King and Queen" of country music to officially open the doors of Cowboys Stadium.

For more stadium opening coverage, go to www.dallascowboys.com