Giddy in Green Bay: That Keith Urban High

Well I am on one of those Keith Urban concert highs – what a great night!! My daughter asked me which of our 3 concerts in a row I liked best. They all had their special high points but I picked tonight. I am feeling so good and no alcohol was involved!!

I’m now able to sing along with many of the Zac Brown songs and I broke down and got their album at the merchandise booth. Tonight they were sweet – drumming up support for an organization that works with troubled kids. Zac was funny too – at one point he had us all light up our cell phones, so I was expecting something like Keith’s cell phone wave last tour. But no, Zac stopped right there – once we had our cells open they began another song. Maybe they just wanted to feel that “Bic Lighter” aura of the audience showing support?

There was a big solid block of floor seats that were empty during the opening act which then filled suddenly when it came time for Keith. A special party perhaps? Corporate sponsors?

Keith and the boys totally rocked the house with Hit the Ground and Days Go By. Tonight they created a huge cloud of vapor that totally hid Keith’s ascent through the stage floor. Instead he suddenly burst out of the fog, like a genie out of a bottle, to the cheers and screams of the audience. So it seems they are trying for a different opening effect now. The brown plaid shirt was back (is this the first repeat?) with darkish blue jeans..

Daughter Annie is no longer timid. Tonight she was determined to get a front view of the songs performed on the satellite stage. In Green Bay females started surrounding that stage during the break between Zac Brown and Keith and security did not chase them away. So Annie staked out her spot in that crowd and stood there through the first four songs performed on the main stage. I, not being quite up to the crush of the crowd for that long, stayed in my seat until Better Half began. Then I moved to the rear of the arena and, with some quick moves while others were distracted by the screaming when Keith first began his journey down the side aisle, found a spot just 2 gals away from the microphone on the small stage. But then, in an instant, a huge crowd surged in towards the satellite stage and we were all totally smashed together, body against body. And the screaming of this group made my ears absolutely ring!! It was like the same thought entered everyone’s mind at the same second –“Keith is coming – scream as loud as you can!!!” (I didn’t scream, but I was excited about my nearly “front row” position. Oddly enough when Keith finally reached the back of the arena his security decided not to take him up the small stage steps. Instead they forcefully split apart the crowd close to me and boosted Keith up to the microphone!! Then the crowd immediately snapped back into position, body against body!! I had some trouble even getting an arm up to take photos and would periodically get rocked in one direction or another, the crowd swaying like one amorphous beast. Keith looked pretty amused by this and told us we were all crazy!

Besides the special treat of being up front for his songs on the small stage, I was surprised and delighted when, after Once in a Lifetime, Keith mentioned that they had a new album, Defying Gravity, out and he wanted to play Only You Can Love Me This Way from the album!! So he sat on his stool and sang that song oh so sweetly just 4 feet from me – so wonderful! (except for those dozens of bodies also trying to get 4 feet from Keith!), followed by Making Memories of Us. Of course the crowd once again went nuts as Keith handed off his guitar and left the small stage. Although I’m sure he was touched by many many hands it didn’t seem to be the aggressive grabbing this time. As I walked smiling back to my seat I can’t tell you how many gals were standing there looking stunned, trembling, crying, holding out the hand that had made contact, or just exclaiming in amazement that they had been THAT close to Keith!! Lots of happy happy fans!! Daughter Annie had made her own contact with Keith’s sweaty arm J and was ready to go again if the opportunity arose during You Look Good in My Shirt! ( it didn’t – he went to the other side of the arena).

Back up on the main stage Keith and the guys next played the three in a row from Defying Gravity with one change that I noticed tonight. Although they began Til Summer Comes Around with the video panels forming a low ceiling over the vapor filled stage, during the song the panels lifted, still positioned horizontally but higher now so that the audience could better see the intricate designs being shown on them.

I Told You So gets everyone singing again. I don’t think that I’ve mentioned that during the final percussive closing bars of the song Keith leaves the stage, but a camera (filming now in black and white) follows him down the steps as he towels off some of the sweat and under the stage, where on the final beat comes face to face with the camera for an instant and then the screen goes black. Very interesting ending! This was followed by the half dozen or so videoclips of fans performing You’ll Think of Me as a lead in to Keith singing this song from a stool on the catwalk.

For the second time this week some silly fan toss a bra up on stage towards Keith. Once again he responded like it was a dead rat, gingerly using the head of his guitar to nudge it out of the way, clearly indicating that he wanted nothing to do with it. Good for him!

During Who Wouldn’t Wanna Be Me, just after Keith kneels on the stage edge with Brad and Brian, playing that distinctive bridge, Keith got silly and leaned in to go nose to lens with the camera filming them, making a funny sideways face at the audience.

Before You Look Good in My Shirt Keith went back to his series of classic guitar riffs, including a couple new ones I couldn’t place. I’ll post my videoclip and maybe one of you will recognize the last couple right before YLGIMS. (In Chicago he included the theme from the Pink Panther in his series – it had been a while since I heard him play that bit!!)

Once again tonight Keith treated us to a little improvised song, just for Green Bay, after he had strolled out on the catwalk to sing Raining on Sunday. I don’t think I can quote it exactly but something along these lines:

Went out riding on my motorcycle today

And the wind nearly blew me right off!

It was a little bit chilly

But this state is sure pretty

During the closing song, Days Go By, someone near the right hand ramp offered Keith a big bouquet of white flowers when he came over to that side of the stage. He not only came down the ramp to accept them, he managed to give the woman a nice hug without a break in the song!

Click here for one video that could not be uploaded here for some reason.