Reba McEntire photo by Russ Harrington, courtesy of the Valory Music Co.

Following their joint appearance last June in the opening event at Dallas’ new Cowboys Stadium, George Strait and Reba McEntire kicked off a co-headlining tour Jan. 22 in Baltimore, testing Reba in a way she hadn’t encountered in a long, long time.

“It’s totally different for me because it’s a 40×40 square out in the middle of the arena,” she says. “I was a little panicked, at first, how was I gonna make it around and do my songs, but I really do like it. I like to have access to that many people instead of just goin’ back and forth on a stage like in a proscenium. So it worked out very well.”

That, she noted, addresses the technical part of the show. From an emotional standpoint, teaming with George and Lee Ann Womack was even better.

She “had a blast,” she notes. “[Husband-manager] Narvel [Blackstock] arranged after our first night in Baltimore for us all to go back into the catering room — Lee Ann’s band and crew, my band and crew, George’s band and crew — and everybody just gathered and mingled. And it’s a great thing to do. You know, usually if your kid’s playin’ soccer, you see all the parents at the games, but at the end of the year you have your party. So we wanted to have it at the beginning and [have] everybody get to know each other real comfortable. And I think we are going to continue to have a great time with this show.”

Lee Ann’s presence in the lineup is a big asset to Reba’s set list. Lee Ann takes Linda Davis’ original role in the live performance of “Does He Love You.”

Two concerts were postponed last weekend in Knoxville and Charlottesville, Va., in deference to a snowstorm that hit the Southeast. That’s not likely to happen this weekend. They play in the warm-weather climates of Phoenix and Las Vegas.

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