George Strait and Chris Stapleton put on a Texas-sized show at Acrisure Stadium

First and foremost, I have a bone to pick with Mother Nature. As one very talented man asked onstage at Acrisure Stadium on Saturday night, “Why you gotta be so cold?”

This often being the time of year when the region’s country fans flock to the North Shore for a summer kickoff in concert form, the scarves, thick coats and rubbing together of hands for warmth seemed out of place.

But the artists did their best to warm things up. Opening up the bill was Parker McCollum — who, he insisted, is no relation to Steelers center Ryan McCollum, despite a long-running inside joke between the two. While his tunes often landed on the more mellow side of the country spectrum, the Texas native charmed the early-bird audience with songs like “Pretty Heart” and “Hell of a Year.”

He also played some songs from his upcoming self-titled album, and “Big Sky” will definitely be making it onto some of my playlists once it hits Spotify. He repeatedly thanked the crowd for turning out early to see him — while some blocks of yellow seats were still visible throughout the stadium, plenty of cowboy hats had started to fill in.

Now, Chris Stapleton went on my best-of concert list for last year, so expectations were high when the superstar singer-songwriter-guitarist came onto the stage. He did not disappoint. From the very first rough-and-tumble notes of “Nobody to Blame,” he was electrifying onstage. Both his sandpapery voice and nimble guitar playing seem effortless, but Stapleton has worked pretty hard to build an amazing catalog of songs — both for himself and other artists, but more on that in a bit.

While Stapleton also had some more chilled-out songs to offer, he also lit the stage up with fiery tunes like “Outlaw State of Mind” and “White Horse.” “Arkansas” would fit in perfectly in a film car chase scene; and “Cold” just showcased the pure, raw power of his voice.

The Saturday night audience was also fortunate enough to hear him debut a brand-new song. “Bad As I Used to Be” is a harmonica-heavy ditty with an infectious melody that has potential as a radio hit.

The generally taciturn performer even stopped to congratulate a couple who appeared to get engaged in the midst of “You Should Probably Leave.”

He is also celebrating the 10-year anniversary of his debut album “Traveller.” He thanked everyone “who bought that record, shared it with friends, played it at a barbecue, had one too many beers with it. I’m so grateful.”

In celebration, he played the album’s title track, which is airy and full of evocative steel guitar. Stapleton’s wife, Morgane, sings with him onstage and their vocal chemistry was especially strong on that one. He ended the set with “Tennessee Whiskey,” a bluesy hit with which few concertgoers didn’t sing along.

As the sky was turning a chilly twilight blue, the headliner made it to the stage — and what a headliner he was.

George Strait is the quintessential modern country artist, coming to prominence in the 1980s and selling more than 120 million albums since then. In a cowboy hat, flannel and jeans, the 73-year-old was as comfortable onstage as his pedigree would suggest. He enthusiastically ran through more than 30 songs.

Strait’s set was roughly divided into two types of songs: the upbeat, fiddle-ridden clever songs, à la “Ocean Front Property,” and the more sentimental, steel-guitar-laced songs like “I Saw God Today.” Both have their place in country, and both were perfected by George Strait.

He opened with the hectic and fun “Twang,” setting the tone for the rest of the night. His newest album, 2024’s “Cowboys and Dreamers,” got plenty of attention in the setlist and featured some great tunes. From a cover of Waylon Jennings’ “Waymore’s Blues” that brought his whole Ace in the Hole Band into the spotlight to the tropical “MIA in MIA,” the album is clearly a point of pride for Strait.

“Cowboys and Dreamers” also features “Honky Tonk Hall of Fame,” which was penned by and features Chris Stapleton. Stapleton returned to the stage to perform that and two other numbers — “Cowboys Like Us” and “You Don’t Know What You’re Missing.” All three songs were better for Stapleton’s presence.

Strait also paused to honor a veteran and Purple Heart recipient, both with recognition and a free house. This was in conjunction with the Military Warriors Support Foundation, a project that he has helped to fund for more than a decade. According to the foundation, Strait has helped to fund more than 100 homes for wounded veterans.

While playing “I’ll Always Remember You,” Strait spoke about how much he loves standing onstage and making music in front of a crowd. “I walk through those curtains and see your smiling faces, and my feet don’t touch the ground again until I walk back out.”

He also played what he said is his favorite song he ever recorded, “Amarillo by Morning,” and closed with a pair of high-energy highlights in “Troubadour” and “Unwound.” Full of fiddle and multicolored lights, they got the crowd riled up and ready for an encore.

It wasn’t just any encore, but a lengthy set of five songs. Like many celebrities, George Strait has delved into the world of alcohol brands, and his Código 1530 George Strait Origen Tequila may or may not be any good, but it did inspire a pretty great song.

Then he played maybe THE modern country song, “All My Ex’s Live In Texas,” the morosely funny tune that best utilizes the winking drawl in his voice. The crowd’s singing along maybe doubled the song’s volume inside the stadium. “Take Me to Texas” was a high point full of sincerity, and the cowboy rode away after “The Cowboy Rides Away.”

It may have been a long and cold Saturday night, but fiery fiddle, incendiary guitar and heartwarming lyrics kept the huge crowd toasty until the last notes.