No opening night jitters were evident last night when George Strait kicked off his 2006 tour at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines.

He was instantly at ease with the crowd, opening with the light-hearted hits “Honk if you Honky Tonk” and “Check Yes or No.”

By mixing classics with current hits, Strait’s concert was an enjoyable blend of traditional and contemporary country music. He would often follow up a classic like “Can Still Make Cheyenne,” with a more recent hit, such as “Desperately.”

Even though most of the choreographing involved Strait simply tapping his foot, Strait’s facial expressions through the songs were entertaining. Strait especially moved the crowd with a heartfelt rendition of “You’ll Be There.” By seeing the emotions play on his face, one could believe that Strait had experienced every word of every lyric.

However, more choreography might have helped the performance of his less recent, and now less popular songs. The crowd was noticeably more responsive to the newer releases, and visual effects would have raised the enjoyment of the more classic songs.

For example, Strait could have used the theatre-in-the-round format to liven up the less popular numbers. With the stage placed in the middle of the arena, surrounded by floor seats, Wells Fargo Arena offers a chance for artists to perform in a more unique setting than a traditional theatre.

Strait instead opted to play a song entirely before one side of the stage and then switch to another side’s microphone for the following number. This was enjoyable when Strait was facing the side where I was sitting, but I felt a sense of jealousy whenever he faced a different part of the stadium.

However, the theatre-in-the-round still succeeded in making the concert seem more personal, since there was obviously no backstage for the artist to hide behind. Strait also allowed the crowd to move in right up to the stage for his last few numbers, letting audience members even rest their elbows on the stage.

Because Strait seemed so comfortable with the crowd, I found myself wishing he would interact with us even more. He only paused a few times for dialogue and usually just mentioned a few sentences before moving into the next song.

During one of these breaks, Strait introduced the members of his band who all proved to also be entertaining. From the suit-clad fiddle player to the long-haired male drummer, the band members seemed to complement each other in very unique ways.

But when Strait addressed the crowd, he was playful, natural and light-hearted. For instance, he chuckled at the audience when they whistled at the female background singer while she was introduced.

In addition to this playfulness, Strait was equally able to convey sadness with his soulful voice through songs like “I Hate Everything.” His voice was clear, never too twangy—but still distinctly country.

Even though Strait’s pitch was perfect, the sound was not. The bass seemed too heavy at times and there was a distracting loud hum during the beginning measures of “You’ll Be There.”

Other technical aspects, such as the lighting, were flawless. Bright white spotlights were used to beg an encore, but most numbers had simply a few solid colored lights that suited the songs nicely.

The crowd expected and demanded an encore and Strait obliged, treating the fans to multiple songs including the hit “Love Bug.”

With mostly solid performances on both classic and contemporary hits, Strait’s 2006 tour is off to a promising start.