George Strait announces epic return to Death Valley for one night show

George Strait is heading back to Clemson more than 25 years after his last show there.

The country legend, 73, will perform at Clemson University’s Memorial Stadium, famously known as Death Valley, on May 2, 2026. The “one night only” concert at the South Carolina venue will also feature Cody Johnson and Wyatt Flores, with tickets set to go on sale October 31.

A statement released on Friday, October 17 read, “The last time Death Valley hosted a concert was 1999 and it was George Strait. In 2026, the King returns.”

Though the Clemson concert is the only new date announced so far, fans are buzzing about the possibility of a larger tour. 

Earlier this week, Strait shared a nostalgic poster on Instagram from his late-‘90s George Strait Chevy Truck Music Festival, which featured a then-rising lineup including Kenny Chesney, the (then-Dixie) Chicks, and Tim McGraw.

Over the past few years, the Grammy-winning musician has taken a selective approach to touring, performing limited stadium shows each spring and summer. In 2024, he played 10 shows, and this year he performed five.

One of his 2024 performances at Texas A&M’s Kyle Field even set a record for the largest single-ticketed concert crowd in U.S. history, drawing 110,905 fans — a record later broken by Zach Bryan at Michigan Stadium.

In addition to his Clemson return, Strait’s calendar is filling up with honours. He’ll be celebrated at this December’s Kennedy Center Honors alongside KISS, Gloria Gaynor, Michael Crawford, and Sylvester Stallone, and will be inducted into the Texas Songwriters Hall of Fame in early 2026.