Country music super star George Strait performs for the crowd at the Saddledome last night. (KEVIN UDAHL, Sun)

CALGARY - Classic to the core.

Or, at the very least, to the crease in his jeans.

Either way you cut it, George Strait is the embodiment of classic country music, while also personifying the classic cowboy.

His is a show of gentle, basic family entertainment, eschewing the flash-and-bang Garth Brooks and Shania Twain school of rock-gone-country, in favour of a more honest approach.

His music, too, is the stuff of easy, timeless charm and twang, rather than the modern Nashville flavour, which blurs the line between C&W and R&R thanks to guitar solos, Eagles homages and obvious crossover duets.

And, finally, his personality is also the perfect picture of the western male -- strong, silent, rugged and humble to a fault.

Yup. Classic to the core.

And last night, during the first of two Saddledome shows, Strait showed why all those things have served him so well for 25 years.

No one in the audience of 11,000 or so -- an audience as diverse as you'll likely see in the 'Dome, thanks to his wide appeal -- was there to see a dazzling light show or watch Strait fly through the air in a harness or grind against a scantily clad dancer.

They came, just as they did to the four 'Dome shows two years ago, to see George and hear his multitude of hits -- no surprises, no silliness. And he was more than happy to oblige.

Kicking off with Honk If You Honky Tonk, Strait -- dressed in his ready-to-rope, ready-to-rip attire of white hat, button-up shirt and jeans -- kept the memorable and familiar tunes coming, including Amarillo By Morning, She Let Herself Go, a swingin' version of Take Me Back to Tulsa and Milk Cow Blues.

And he delivered them all in an easygoing, no-nonsense way that was neither contrived nor boring.

He's just a natural showman, with charisma and skill very few acquire and fewer are born with.

The 54-year-old Texan, backed by his Ace In the Hole Band, merely switched position, going to each side of the fan-friendly, in-the-round stage and belting out his gold, with little preamble or pause.

But that was enough to make it a classic country night -- entertaining to its very core.

The openers leaned a little more towards the new country than Strait.

All you had to do was check out the mohawk on Miranda Lambert's bassist to get that message.

The tunes she brought with her, such as Me and Charlie Talking were of the mildly entertaining pop country variety.

Her stage show also left much to be desired and could have been infused with a great deal more character.

Tracy Lawrence was a little more honky tonk than Lambert and left a larger impression.

Not because when he left the stage he seemed somewhat disappointed if not downright indignant the crowd couldn't sing along to his hit Paint Me A Birmingham -- but for his entire show.

He wasn't particularly energetic or showy, but Lawrence, his deep, rich voice and songs such as Better Man, Better Off and Time Marches On carried a tremendous weight which was hard to get out from under.