A Double-Header in Nashville

>This is a belated post because I wondered if a review of Keith's part in last weekend’s Grand Ole Opry shows was needed or not. So many of you may have watched a good part of the show, or perhaps listened to both shows on the radio, so I worried that I’d be writing about things that you already knew. Oh well, since these reviews serve sort of as a diary for me, I'll go ahead and hope it won't all be "old hat" for some of you!

I got up at 4:30 AM to catch a 6:00 AM flight to Nashville. It was a lovely day in Tennessee when I arrived. Since I doubted I could check into my hotel at 10:30 AM, I headed to the southwest part of town to check out Starbucks, Bread & More, and shop at the Green Hills Mall. Then on to the patio of the Cheesecake Factory for a leisurely lunch and people watching. No sightings but it was a perfect way to spend a few hours.

I was starting to feel that 4:30 am wakeup so headed up to Music Valley Drive to check into my hotel and take a little snooze. I had arranged to meet some fellow fans at the Opryland Mall for a quick food court supper before we headed to the show. Parking was already crazy so I had to park at the end of the mall farthest from the theatre. It was great meeting some very sweet friends from the board and to reunite with others like Gaetane who I periodically run into at different concerts!

I had never seen Keith perform at the Opry so I wasn't quite sure what to expect. It is such a different environment and different crowd than any of the other concerts. Several hundred of the audience were on bus tours to Nashville, many many in the audience were elderly, and there were some international visitors (from Sweden and Germany and maybe elsewhere). Although there was definitely a "Keith contingent", we were somewhat scattered throughout the audience, but I also overheard several conversations of people unfamiliar with Keith and his music.

The program indicated that Keith would not appear until the third half hour segment and that he would follow Marty. I waited somewhat impatiently through that first hour but then was delighted when Keith actually opened the third act of the show! A wave of excited screams went through the auditorium when he walked out on stage. Oh Lordy he looked luscious in that black button down shirt we all love, sleeves rolled up, a little bit of chest showing, and black jeans, hair shining and trimmed, big grin on his face. He broke into YLGIMS with a great big “Whooo yeah!!” and rocked the house with perhaps a tad more twang than usual for the Opry’s sake and a “How about that Nashville?” and “Oh you look mighty cute in the morning” thrown in. But you could tell that many of us fans, scattered in the audience, felt constrained not to stand or dance (at least most of the main floor fans) in this rather staid audience. So we bounced in our pews and shrieked, cheered and clapped loudly at the end (in fact probably a bit too much for their strict radio show timetable!). After the last verse Keith kept it a little more modest than some shows with “ you’re looking mighty fine walking around in my little teeshirt” and when he was counting off “ 1... 2….” he left the 3 and 4 for the audience to fill in and wasn’t disappointed.

After his first song there was "a pause for a word from our sponsors". While the announcer delivered the commercial multiple stagehands talked intently to Keith. I kept the camera on him and was curious about what all was being discussed during that break, but I couldn't connect their gestures to the show that followed. That black shirt was quite a tease because it seemed to have extra long shirttails, reaching all the way to the bottom of those handsome buns, making us wish for a glimpse when he moved this way or that! The announcer reminded us tonight the Opry was celebrating Mary’s birthday and they showed a short video about his career. Then the lights were on Keith again. He asked “Are we in a singing mood Nashville? And then he wagged his finger at us like a schoolteacher as he reminded us “We all know why we are here! Let’s bring him out” and led us in the singing of happy birthday to Marty. I was happy to see and sing to Marty but that’s not the reason I flew in from Iowa!!!

After our birthday song Marty invited us over to the house afterwards for a piece of cake. Keith asked “Is everyone feeling good tonight? It is such a huge honor to be playing at the Opry and playing for my good friend Marty’s birthday. Happy birthday Marty!! A special thank you to everyone who traveled a long way to get here. And at what the gas prices are, that’s an amazing thing you guys did!” Keith received the usual "I love you!" shouts from the audience (which Marty remarked on multiple times) and gave his usual "I love you too and I don't even know you" response, but added "but the night is young" the first time this happened. But I think he was a bit embarrassed by the fan attention in this environment and more than once focused the attention back on Marty as best he could.

Then Keith began to sing ROS and for a second there was a hush in the crowd, followed by screams and shouts. . It was so great to hear him perform ROS in an auditorium that was built for musical performances!! I almost wished everyone would be quiet for a bit so that I could just sink into that wonderful resonant voice. He did a slight head back and to the side pause at the end of the first verse but didn’t stretch it way out as he had been doing at concerts. As he did, a tiny smile played at the corners of his lips because he knew he was torturing us as we longed for the sweet pleasure of his singing to continue. When he left it up to us to sing the last “When its raining on Sunday” of the chorus and we all chimed in, he was tickled to death and shouted “I love you guys!”, sending chills washing down my body. It was a wonderful performance of ROS from the very start, through a double “sweet baby sweet baby” to the final “Just you and me waking up on a Sunday morning with the rain coming down….”

“Now That’s Country” with Marty was just great!! Keith ‘s guitar work was so hot, playing that bluesy beat and a little solo in the middle. And I just love it when he does his own lyrics to a song!

Got me a pickup

Got a little Franklin farm

Got no horse Marty

But I got a Mustang in the barn

I used to be a drinker

If it wasn’t for my wife

And the gift of country music

I just might be doing time….

They played the heck out of that song!!! Keith alternated between grinning at Marty and pressing his lips together and bobbing his head in serious sexy rocker mode. And as they finished, Marty threw in “That’s country Keith!” and said “Give me five Brother Keith Urban!” and they gripped each others hands, then Marty did a Keith-ish “1, 2, 3, 4” to close the song– so cute!

Again some “I love yous” from the crowd for Keith and Marty teased him “She loves you Keith.” Then he said “I love you too. Thank you for coming to do my birthday party - you’re my buddy. You know what I want? What I really want? I saw your car sittin’ back there (wonder which one Keith was driving?) “You can have mine” he continued. “Can I have the John Deere license plate too?” asked Keith. They are really fun together. Marty said that it was an honor to have Keith there for his birthday – that Keith was “one of his favorites!”

Then Marty, with a little stumbling, said that, since they were here in the “Mother Church” they were going to do one of the classics of country music. He said “Play somethin’ pretty” to Keith, and with a lovely little guitar run they began to sing “I’m So Lonesome” They were both terrific and I love Marty’s mandolin playing, but it was Keith’s sweet sweet voice that really grabbed my heart. Although I tried to capture both of them with my video, my camera kept drifting off to Keith’s side (sorry Marty!). I thoroughly enjoyed Keith singing the harmony to Marty’s lead.

I could see a spotlight light up offstage – I guess that must have been when they briefly interviewed Keith, but we weren’t privy to the interview. Several acts later the announcer was still busy doing his commercial when you knew Keith must be coming back on stage by the sudden onset of squealing in the audience J . My oh my those guitar techs may be handy during the usual long concert, but there was something especially pleasing about watching Keith carrying his guitar on and off stage, even when he was just silhouetted in the stage lights.

A few acts later they announced Keith again and he came out commenting that “This is quite a party. Who wouldn’t want to be you, Marty? And went into WWWBM with Marty accompanying him on the mandolin!! Keith threw in a “I’m talking about Nashville Tennessee” after Georgia to Tennessee and “Who wouldn’t want to be Marty!” and then Marty sang Jerry’s usual part during the closing of the song.

Second Show of the Night

Marty began by sharing this story: My wife Connie came home from the Grand Ole Opry one night and said that she "had just heard a young singer who just sat there on a stool and it was just him and his guitar and he completely stole the house and he was magic." "And he loves you?" asked Marty. "No, he dearly loves me" Connie replied. "And I got to know him," continued Marty "and he is one of my favorite people.I love him like a brother! How about a hand for Mr. Keith Urban!!

I think Keith changed clothes for the second show. He still had on a black long sleeved shirt but it was cut shorter and he was wearing his favorite blue jeans with the pocket flaps. Keith thanked Marty and wished him a happy birthday (no song for the second show) and Marty wished him a happy birthday in return. I wonder if Keith will have an “Opry Birthday Party” in 9 years?

Another rousing round of YLGIMS, with one of Keith’s rrrr-rolling ululating bird-like calls for emphasis at one point. He got a huge round of applause, thanked every one so much and said it was “such an honor to be playing at the Opry for Marty’s birthday.” And he said that they wanted Marty to come out and “ pick a little with us” – “Welcome back Mr Marty Stuart, my brother, a fine gentleman” and Marty replied “Back at you!” (a mutual admiration society!).

Keith said he had been sitting with Marty’s mom during Connie’s song and that his mom had said that he and Marty “had the prettiest women.” And mothers are always right” Marty added and” we always look better when we’re standin’ near our girls!” “That’s right” said Keith – “you gonna pick a little with us?”And with that Keith and Marty and Jerry started in on WWWBM. Keith fooled us though – this time he relied on the audience for “I’ve gotta hole in my jeans” and there was an instant of stunned silent before we jumped in with what he wanted. (Sorry Keith - we just weren’t in full concert mode at the Opry!

Once again more “I love yous” for Keith with Marty ribbing him by pointing them out “ She loves you. And she loves you.” Heehee. Keith said we were “ a lively bunch” but again I think he was a little embarrassed to be getting more attention than the birthday boy.Marty thanked Keith and the boys for playing before they went into the final song of the night.

Now That’s Country once again was smoking’ hot with a little bit different guitar improv than the first show’s rendition and another little guitar solo. Keith sang a few more of the real lyrics but still changed some:

Got me a pickup, got a piece of nothin’ farm

Got me a hound-dog and a shotgun in the barn

I used to be a drinker, if it wasn’t for my wife

I tell you Marty I wouldn’t be here tonight

As they closed the song Marty said to Keith:

“Play me a little guitar brother Keith Urban” and Keith played a little riff for him

“Say it again, say it again” said Marty

And Keith obliged with a little bit longer riff : )

So it was a terrific evening. I’m sorry the second show people missed out on ROS and I’m So Lonesome – they were definite highlights. Keith did not seem to have any of the nervousness that he complained about in his last Opry performance, maybe because he was playing with a buddy and also had some of the band with him.

The only problem of the evening was that sinking feeling I had as I left the shows. Sort of like a man stranded in the desert who has taken the very last sip of water in his canteen and realizes it is going to be a long dry spell before he enjoys a cool drink of water again. I was already feeling thirsty for my “cool (hot?) drink of water”!!! Hey Keith – how about trying out the new music at a couple small fan club concerts sometime REAL soon!!??

Idyllic Indy

>Those gusty gulf winds blew all the bad weather north of Indy, foiling the weather forecasters, so our concert day happily was sunny and warm. Incredible winds kept everyone comfortable during the tailgating hours outside the stadium, although many had to forsake their cowboy hats, pirate hats, posters, balloons and the like to that tropical breeze. I went over to Lucas Oil Stadium early to find any performance stages outside the stadium because there had been rumors of a “pre-show” for the early crowd. I found the XM stage (XM Radio was promoting their all Kenny “No Shoes” channel by broadcasting live from Indy) and the staff said that there would be multiple performers and “Kenny would be there sometimes after 1:00.” The national winners of Kenny’s Big Star contest played a few songs, then the XM folks said that they didn’t know if Keith would make an appearance like he did in Boston. I figured that must mean a pretty definite “no” or they would have strung us along all day. I went back to the hotel to meet my daughter Sara who drove in from Champaign-Urbana. After a quick lunch we headed back, hoping we might still catch Kenny’s pre-show appearance. Well we didn’t have to hurry – the stadium gates had already opened and it was about 3:30 when Kenny showed up in his baseball cap and gave a short interview, then sang 3 or 4 songs. The parking lot was packed with people on all sides of the stage but Sara and I got reasonably close spots for this acoustic performance. Then Kenny was whisked off and everyone headed into the Lucas Oil Stadium.

It is a beautiful new stadium and they did a good job on their very first concert (although they are still working out a few bugs with the sound systems and field level porta-potties). We had thought that the sunny weather would mean the roof would be open, but no – the stadium roof was closed and the entire place was air-conditioned for our comfort until Keith and Kenny’s performances. So Luke Bryan, Gary Allan and Leann played “inside” a slightly echo-y but not bad stadium environment. After Leann finished her great set we all watched in amazement as the center panels of the roof slowly parted and slid out of view over the stands revealing the early evening skies! Very fancy!! This did mean that the acoustics were much better for Keith and Kenny.

At first it looked like they were only setting up Kenny’s video screens during the break, but finally Keith’s video wall moved out and I breathed a sigh of relief. We were on the aisle in the very last row of the B front floor section so I knew I would be needing that screen to see any detail. The near-capacity crowd had responded well to Luke, Gary and Leann but really started to come to life when the brightly colored audience shots came into view on the video wall. Then the wall went dark for a few seconds of anxious anticipation before the audience was positively electrified by that video of Keith walking towards us and the introductory notes of Days Go By!! It was finally the time that so many of us had been waiting for!!!

Keith looked absolutely stunning! His hair looked freshly trimmed and was shiny and soft, the stage lights showing off the few blond highlights. And that smile – he was obviously happy to be there and was totally spot on in his performance throughout his show. He wore a dark tee which probably some of you would recognize – sort of looks like a crescent moon with an atomic or astronomic pattern in the center of that crescent shape.

For “Blacktop” and 3 or 4 other songs Keith played a rather striking looking avocado and light green guitar – quite good looking. I didn’t see a single sign of “back problems” all night. He had his usual sashaying, prowling saunter across the stage, he crouched by the fans for his guitar solos, did more than one exciting backbend (which made me worry and also not worry about him!) and bent low to slap hands at every point of the catwalk for the longest time at the close of his set. I greatly appreciated that the camera persons last night treated us to many rear-views : ) during several of Keith’s songs (which was one vantage point that was often missing from the great camera work during the LPATWCT tour, except when Keith was down on the small stage) and Keith treated us to several “front views” as well! Good thing that the crowd was roaring because I may have whimpered or moaned a few times!

Although Keith’s time on stage is far too short for too much conversation, he did thank Kenny more than once, thanked those who traveled far to the show and those who were sitting was up high (REALLY high in this new stadium!), and thanked those who could only get to one concert a year and chose this show as the one to go to. He also commented on the stadium and the beautiful night we could see through the now open roof. He introduced all the band members and their individual solos really resounded throughout the venue. A couple little sound glitches – a high pitch guitar tone when he was about to start Who Wouldn’t Wanna Be Me which made Keith laugh at himself (wrong guitar setting I think) before he and Jerry did their guitar jousting. And some deep base rumbling vibrations at the start of You’ll Think Of Me that may have been due to the stadium sound system. YTOM was particularly passionate last night. I don’t know how he hits that mark time after time!! For some reason I was especially drawn to the appearance of the cords in his long sweat slick neck during that song last night. Not quite sure if I wanted to lick, nuzzle, kiss, or plant a big hickey on it, but I was definitely drawn! : )

During Better Half he threw in an extra “You better believe it” after “I’d rather have you by my side”. A fan presented him, at just the right moment in Better Life, with a tiny pink onesie which I think was embroidered with Sunday Rose’s name. Keith tried to hang it on the mike stand without luck but did sing out “ as big as a Sunday Rose sky”. He later had the pink onesie flapping out of his back pocket as he strolled from stage left to stage right J During a very participatory Raining On Sunday I noticed what looked like a crack in his little guitar. Bet he has a new one on order since he seems to love that little one.

You Look Good In My Shirt was a highlight (in a performance that was almost ALL highlights!) of the evening. First, a new guitar play beginning – some very fancy fingerwork that I did not recognize as any of the riffs he has played before, followed by some big swooping arm extensions of the guitar to create some nifty electronic effects. Then two huge “kangaroos” showed up while Keith was singing the first verse on stage! One played the guitar and the other big fat one danced around with some kind of Down-under flag. Keith totally cracked up and could not sing for several seconds (even more so than in the YLGIMS video!). Love that laugh!! Finally Keith sauntered down to the end of the runway and sat down with his legs dangling into the sandpit for the end of the song. He didn’t actually jump off stage (but looked sorely tempted to do so) but had a big crowd of sandpitters gathered at his feet as he sang. I think this must have been pre-arranged because I did not see any anxious security worrying that he was going to go out into the crowd. A very fun song!

The band seemed very animated and emotional during their final bows. They walked , arm in arm, all the way to the end of the runway (something I don’t think they have done at the other stadium shows) – clearly a special “last concert” for them too. The other guys then retreated to the stage, throwing out picks and drumsticks, but Keith slapped hands for as long as he could. What a sweetie pie!

Kenny’s “closing show” was special in many ways. He (and his friends) played over 3 hours, changed up the set list, did many covers (even U2’s With or Without You!), had special solos and guest appearances (a bit much for me with 4 or 5 songs by Uncle Cracker), began to party with the crew while on stage, but somehow it still did not have the “heart” of Keith’s closing show in Lexington. The most moving part of it, for me, was (no surprise) Keith’s reappearance to sing Take It to the Limit with Kenny. They did a great job, but Keith’s voice in particular was just as clear and soulful as a bell when he sang his closing verse – the best I have heard him on that song. And the long hug that Kenny gave him before Keith left the stage was very touching – country brothers they are!

4th Of July Weekend in Music City

>I arrived in Music City on the 4^th and in time to walk down to Riverfront Park to take in the free concert and famed fireworks display. I had pleasant thoughts that Keith and I might enjoy the same explosive light show. Well, probably not, because Riverfront Park was so jam packed with every inch of not only the lawns but also the sidewalks and road filled with families and couples there to celebrate Independence Day. So unless Mr. Urban had a safer viewing spot for he and Nic they probably made do with Franklin fireworks. I was thinking that someone who had access to the closed LP Field stadium right across the river from where I was sitting would have a great (and private) show, but saw no signs of activity over there. The fireworks were quite spectacular and I was safely back to my hotel before Mother Nature put on her own light show with a thunderous downpour.

Luckily the 5^th dawned bright and sunny and I did a little lazy wandering to pass the time before concert, got some barbeque at Rippy’s Ribs and then hiked across the Shelby Street pedestrian bridge to LP Field, enjoying the views of the Cumberland River on the way. It was a hot one today and more than once I wished for a brief shower to cool things off. Not just the performers but the entire audience was drenched with sweat and fanning themselves during the early performances and I think we all breathed a collective sigh of relief when the sun finally went down and we could groove a little more comfortably! It seemed Gary was moving a little more slowly today (the heat does that to you). He did do an extra song though– that whiskey drinking song he also did when opening for Keith, where his key-boardist plays the keyboard with a bottle of Jack. Leann was back in spike heels and a slinky black dress today (but did end up in bare feet before she was done, so maybe her toe is not completely healed). I really do enjoy their music but today, more than ever, I felt myself counting the minutes until it was Keith’s turn. Hence Sammy’s performance seemed to drag on and on!

I was in the 7^th row of the risers closest to the stage today. Although I had considered myself lucky when I got floor seats at the other stadium shows I went to, today made me change my mind. Unless one is lucky enough to get in the first several rows of the floor or very close to the sandbar fence, I’m now convinced the close risers give a much better view than trying to peek through masses of heads. From my seat I could also see the side of the stage where a chef in a white hat was grilling for the crew and a bar/canteen was set up for them as well (maybe this was Kenny’s ‘party’ area?). I was pleasantly surprised later to find that the ramp leading to that canteen was the way the stars entered and exited the stage so we had a little “preview” before the rest of the audience saw them up on stage! When Keith walked up that ramp my section squealed in delight and Keith waved to us before he disappeared into the backstage grill area.

I guess because middle Tennessee is at the eastern edge of the central time zone, it was already dusk when Keith came on tonight and much of his performance took place after dark, which was different than usual. Again, during the break, they used his big screen to show beautiful views of the colorful audience, then (after a brief blackout) ran the video of Keith walking down a road towards us which got the crowd worked up to a frenzy. Keith appeared on stage wearing an off-white tee with something like “Someone went to Florida and all I got was this teeshirt” on it and those lovely old patch pocket jeans with all the frayed, torn spots worn white – the larger tear beneath his left back pocket kept catching my attention!

Today I responded to the video screen prompts to text message Leann or Keith to win a visit backstage or a seat upgrade, respectively. For a change I actually got multiple text message responses from each, but, alas, did not win anything. WSIX also had another contest during the show to win a trip to another upcoming stadium show. For that one, at least, we got to see them pick the lucky winner.

Back to Keithy – big beautiful smiles as usual. He immediately had the audience on their feet and rocking with him in DGB and WTBE – so much so that you could feel their rhythmic movement in the CONCRETE risers!! (a bit disconcerting to say the least!). He dedicated Better Half to his “very very very very very very pregnant wife” and after one of the “You’re my better half” choruses he yelled “You better believe it!” I could see the right side offstage area and do not think Nic was there tonight. Also Keith didn’t make any of those sidelong glances or nods like he sometimes does when she is there watching him. In Better Life, after “We’re headed for a better life” he threw in a “You know sweet mama”. He wished everyone a belated happy 4^th of July and mentioned that they had “blown up a lot of things last night” so perhaps he arranged their very own fireworks.

As usual Keith thanked everyone who traveled a long distance to the show - especially since “they probably had to mortgage their homes or sell their cars” to pay the gas prices. He asked how many of us were from out of town and, after a pause, added “That includes Franklin” (in which case he is also from “out of town”)! More than once during the evening however he said how good it was to be able to play music “at home in Nashville”. He did not quite make it through the band introductions tonight. He introduced Brad and Brad sang his little solo, and later introduced Chris M., but he never got around to the other guys so they did not do solos. I was personally distressed to see that Brian – formerly quite a cutie – now has shaved the sides of his head leaving just a Mohawk, which I didn’t like at all!

Tonight many people in the audience were wearing something with flashing colored lights (necklaces, hats, etc.).Because of this when Keith came down the runway for ROS in the now dark stadium the red, white, blue and white flashing lights throughout the stands looked pretty cool. So he commented that the audience was looking good and feeling good ( and sang a little line about “we’re feeling good” before he got down to the business of singing ROS. No guitar riff play before YLGIMS. Instead he walked out on the catwalk and went right into the YLGIMS beginning (maybe because it is a current hit). He made a very short trip offstage – he jumped off the stage and was almost immediately mobbed so his security boosted him up onto a chair in one of the front rows, where he played briefly before returning to the stage.

Keith closed with SLY and hopped and circled his way back down the catwalk to the stage. The applause and whistles and screams were just terrific when they made their bows and finally left stage. And then my section gave one more round of squeals when we were able to watch Keith walk down the backstage ramp into the depths of the stadium.

My only disappointment – no duet with Kenny tonight. I had thought for sure that they would do one for their “hometown” but instead Kenny brought in Jennifer Nettles for a surprise appearance. Even though I loved her singing “Stay” I kept hoping that there would still be time for Keith to reappear, but no such luck. Ah well – it was still a great show!

Chicago! Chicago!

I always enjoy traveling back to Chicago, even if I have lost some of the tolerance for city traffic that I had while growing up there. This weekend was a “girls’ roadtrip” – my oldest daughter came in from Ann Arbor, my middle daughter drove up from Champaign-Urbana and my youngest and I came from Iowa so all of us could rendezvous in Chi-town. We stayed in a fun and funky Lincoln Park neighborhood rather than a big downtown hotel and had our own little slumber party!

On Saturday we lunched at Giordano’s, then headed for the stadium early because we were unsure how fast parking would fill up. Loads of tailgaters had beat us there but the non-tailgating lots were still empty. The partiers got sprinkled on a bit but the light showers ended an hour or so before concert time. We caught 99.5’s free Jake Owen pre-concert (fun!) and got us some cute “I (heart) Keith” and “I (heart) Kenny” hand-fans that a local bank was distributing (and they came in handy as the weather turned warm and sunny!).

The fan club presale graced me with 16^th row tickets this time. We sizzled a bit in the sun during the first few acts (lots of sunburn victims I bet). Today the speaker units once again blocked the second half of the catwalk for performers other than Kenny. Gary Allen was great – I am liking him more and more and he’s getting some good singing from the audience. Leann did her whole energy-packed show barefoot again today – even though the runways weren’t damp. Seemed to fit the casual “first day of summer” atmosphere of the concert. She really wowed us again with her vocals and I heard others around me saying that they hoped she’d put her Joplin song on a future album. She was wearing another “might as well be naked” silky top which really kept the attention of the males in the audience.

Keith’s video wall was back today and it was really quite impressive watching the 2 halves glide into place from either side of the stage during the break before Keith’s performance. The wall (and, necessarily, Chris M.’s drums) were positioned closer to the edge of the stage than usual, making the screen look even bigger. From my angle I could see Keith’s screen was 8-10 feet taller than Kenny’s screen behind it. An unusual treat during set-up today was a camera which panned the stadium crowd in vivid color on Keith’s big screen (and everyone reacting with waves and other antics). An even bigger treat was a new video opening to Keith’s set!!! In black and white halftones we first saw the silhouette (a little bit like the opening of OIAL in concert) of Keith a long way down a winding country road (a bit like the road in the YTOM video). And then Keith walks towards us, growing larger on the video screen, until all we can see is that sexy smiling Keith, walking with his guitar. I wish I had known something new was coming so I could have captured it!!

The man was stunningly gorgeous last night. The natural light just brings out Keith in living colors like no spotlight can ever manage. The rosy red of his teeshirt with an image of a Native American chief, the bright blue of his sparkling eyes, the lighter blond highlights in his hair, the warm tones of his tanned skin. It was all I could do to muffle an inappropriate moan when he first came out on stage. He was also wearing what I think are old favorite jeans – light blue with white worn, torn spots on all the pocket edges and the knees, and the flaps with buttons on the back pockets. So comfy but fine looking!! And a belt with kind of silvery filigree design rather than just studs.

Keith was in high spirits, thrilled to be playing in Soldier Field and so happy (as we discovered later) to have Nicole there with him. He included references to Chicago and Soldier Field in several songs and reminisced about playing at the Whiskey River in 1997. At the appropriate moment in Better Half the camera showed Nicole sitting just offstage on the right, looking lovely in a floral dress with spaghetti straps – large print on the bodice and fine print on the flowing skirt. Keith often looked to that side when he was singing center stage. When he came out on the catwalk for ROS, he said that before he sang the next song he wanted to ask a favor of us. Since Nicole’s birthday was Friday, he thought it would be nice to have 50,000 people sing her Happy Birthday! So he led us in song and the camera caught some cute shots of her blushing and covering her face with her hands in embarrassed delight backstage. Very sweet!

Keith was totally ambushed by dozens of clinging, hugging, kissing fans during his YLGIMS walk into the audience. He almost did not make it back to stage! Security had to pry some ladies off of him and the camera couldn’t even keep track of Keith in the crowd of fans as he struggled back towards the stage. I could not see how he got back up there – seemed like he re-appeared from behind the video wall, somewhat breathless, hair mussed by all those grabbing hands.

Keith again had the guys do their solos during introductions. Looks like Brad has somewhat tamed his wild hair with a new haircut. Brian’s hair is getting longer. Chris R. sang “Hot Blooded” last night. Keith and Brian did their great lyrical guitar duo towards the end of Better Half. Keith did a quite emotional performance of YTOM – not just at the end of the song either. He sang the verses so intensely that I thought he might start to cry.

I think the gal sitting next to me might be a new convert. She had never seen or heard Keith before but was all “Wow! He’s GOOD!” at the end and said she would certainly be checking out his albums. SLY was back as the closing song tonight. Keith both jumped and circled on the catwalk at the end and then jumped all the way back to the stage. He played so vigorously during the song that his guitar seemed to knock his wallet-chain loose, so he finished the song with the chain swinging free with every his every movement.

Yay – Kenny and Keith did their duet again tonight and seemed more at ease and playful during it. Especially Kenny – he is just so tickled to have Keith out there. Keith came out in a fresh baby blue tee shirt with an image I can’t recall (I’m afraid I was looking at him and not the design!). The two of them got the whole audience singing along with Take It To The Limit.

Kenny was cute last night – he brought his dad and uncle up on stage to introduce them! Kenny said they had gone to the Cubs/Sox game at Wrigley Field that afternoon.

A Little Damp in Pittsburgh

When I arrived in Pittsburgh Friday the weather was warm but lovely and I enjoyed walking through the Three Rivers Art Fair across the river from the stadium. But during the night angry thunderstorms moved into town and I began to worry about it “raining on Saturday”. And rain it did – Saturday dawned gray and drippy and went back and forth between downpours and drizzles all day long. Since this had been in the forecast I came prepared with umbrella, rain parka and plastic sheeting – nothing was going to dampen my enjoyment of Keith!!

The sky was still overcast as concert time drew near, but since the rain had temporarily stopped I decided to avoid the traffic and hike across the bridge to Heinz Field and to try to catch some scenic views of Pittsburgh. By mid-bridge I had to break out my umbrella and this time the rains were going to continue for hours. Nevertheless the tailgating lots were packed and fans willing to brave the weather were pouring into this stadium that seats 60,000+. My seat was in row 34 of the floor. But since many did not show up for the opening acts (this was true in Cleveland too even though the weather there was gorgeous), I decided to try to make use of some empty seats closer to the action if I could slip by the VERY active concert security. I watched Luke Bryant from row 24 and then managed to nab a seat next to the sandbar fence (at least temporarily) for Gary and Leann. I had a great view from there!

Perhaps because of the rain no speakers blocked the catwalk today and Gary ventured down as far as the second T (but not down the arms of the T). So I had high hopes of a closer view of Keith and prayed that those who purchased tickets for my spot on the fence had been scared away by the weather. Gary was a trooper and did not retreat to the stage despite the rain (seemed an appropriate and poetic background for his “Songs About Rain”!) The weather cleared a little when Leann came on but she still needed to remove her silver high heels midway through her first song to be able to negotiate the rain slick runways. She did the rest of the show barefoot and was just a ball of energy – so fun to watch. Her voice was amazing and I really loved her Janis Joplin song. I’m sure the men in the audience enjoyed not only her performance but her “might as well been naked” silky tanktop worn braless!

Unfortunately, during the break between Leann and Keith, the stadium suddenly filled. The rain had stopped and everyone showed up to see the headliners! Which meant security emptied the row I was sitting in (apparently ALL of us were squatters) for those who held the actual tickets. Shucks!! So back to row 34 I went – on the floor but really too far away to catch many good views of Keith except when he came down to the end of stage left. But I sure enjoyed the view on the multiple screens. Tonight Keith used Kenny’s screens rather than having his own video wall. Although the side screens are standard fare I think Kenny’s center screen is almost as clear as Keith’s (but not quite as large).

How appropriate that the sun finally broke through, just over the stadium walls, as Keith came on! Doesn’t he always bring sunshine into our lives!! He was just as yummy as usual and seemed to have a mischievious grin from the start! He was wearing a different white tee with particularly short sleeves (the Nicole tattoo was fully visible all the time) with something like “Where in the hell…..is Sun Valley?” on it (couldn’t catch all of the print or picture because of the guitar strap), grayish jeans and his favorite boots (no nakey feet for Keithy) . He opened with DGB and immediately had the entire crowd on their feet and singing. No fan video today – perhaps because he wasn’t using his own projection system. Then into Blacktop where he snuck in a line about being “so glad that it stopped raining” in the middle. He omitted the TIWC that he did in Cleveland, replacing it with the more crowd-involving Better Half. He encouraged and praised our singing multiple times throughout the show – even during Stupid Boy. He made a special point of recognizing the big group of fans standing, singing and clapping way, way up in the nosebleed seats, assuring them that he saw them up there and thanking them. He also chose to give more time to the guys in the band – doing his ‘jousting’ bit with Jerry before WWWBM and introducing each of the guys with their little song solos (which sounded amazing on that big stadium sound system and got the audience singing along with them). I thought the sound was quite good except for a couple times when Keith or Gary took a mic out to the ends of the stage and didn’t quite seem to have as much volume, but I admit I was on the floor, not the rear stands, so don’t know what they were hearing. Keith also thanked the audience for paying outrageous gas prices to come to the show and joked about how “designated drivers” were really getting a raw deal these days and that they should respond with “Sure I’ll be the designated driver, but we’re taking YOUR car!” He asked how many of us had arrived yesterday (lots of cheers) so I thought that might lead into a report of what they had done, but he only joked “Or can’t you remember??”, sensing the inebriation of many in the audience.

Keith – no surprise - was smoking hot on that guitar tonight although I thought he sped up his series of classic guitar riffs (because of his limited timeframe I guess), one following quickly on the heels of another, rather than pausing and grinning at the band and the crowd as usual. I could tell lots of the college males around me were impressed (some playing their “air-guitars” along with him). Keith also made the fans go crazy by venturing out into the audience during YLGIMS at a stadium show (brave man!!). He jumped off the stage and went about halfway up the lower risers – sang a bit standing on one of the seats– then continued down along the front row and down the side of the catwalk to where there must have been a way to get back up top. Security must not have been expecting his foray because it looked like a group of them surprisedly scrambled to follow Keith offstage to protect him. What a guy!

Keith also kept the camera man scrambling to keep up with him as he repeatedly visited each end of the stage. He was feeling playful and at one point mugged it up by leaning down and going almost going nose-to-lens with the big camera, making faces at us all. I do not believe he ventured farther down the catwalk like Gary did – I think he stayed at the first T in the stage for his catwalk songs.

Unfortunately those 2 additions to the performance (the guys’ solos and going offstage) must have meant he had to shorten his set – no SLY to close his show. But that wasn’t the last we saw of Keith!!

I was SO pleased when Kenny brought out Keith to sing with him, calling Keith one of his very best friends. They sang a somewhat slow arrangement of Take It to the Limit, with Keith providing the slow, traditional strumming background as well as singing the duet. It seemed like Kenny may have forgotten the words a couple times during his sections (the “making money” and “making time” portions of the lines) but you know that’s a song that Keith has done many times. They kind of kept their distance from each other and were pretty serious while performing, but afterwards Kenny really gave Keith a couple big hugs and even grabbed and rubbed his head like he was a kid brother. Kenny also brought back Luke for a song on the catwalk a bit later. During the show Kenny also made a joke – wish I could remember what female performer he was talking about (maybe the gal in his “Big Star song?), but he referred to her as “almost a Keith Urban in a skirt”! What a mental image I had (and it wasn’t that Keith in a dress from the Ranch days)!

My section of the floor was well behaved – a number of families dancing with their little ones to the music, quite a few middle agers. So Pittsburgh was a positive experience, rain and all! I know rowdy drunks spoiled the enjoyment of the show in some areas of the arena.

Oh My Oh in Ohio

Oh my - there is something darned special about seeing Keith outdoors on a clear sunny day. As wonderful as that big high def screen is in darkened arenas, the daylight really brings out the wonderful colors of Keith. Today he wore a bright white tee with the interesting logo of the Rolling Stones Unicycle Club (?) on the front and Capitol Cycles on the back, a great silver studded belt, and really blue bluejeans. In the sunlight that white shirt really showed off the great tan on those muscled arms and a rosy glow in his cheeks! He obviously has been enjoying some outdoors time. And in the daylight those blue eyes never sparkled brighter – totally mesmerizing! Our man was looking particularly lean and fit and happy to be playing a gig.

Keith came on at 7:45 with little to announce his arrival (no meteors and shooting stars or beat of OIAL as in the tour). Instead he came onto stage and immediately went into Days Go By, with the DGB fan video background (again I felt like there were some news bits in the video).on HIS usual big screen (I was SO happy to see they brought it to the stadium!). I say HIS because Kenny used multiple curved screens of his own (not quite as nice as Keith’s IMHO). The crowd joined right in on the song and Keith got a great response throughout his show even though the stadium crowd was, of course, a more mixed group than the usual Keith concert. Then on to Blacktop with a couple extra “You bet ya’s” thrown in (I always liked that line!) and then Stupid Boy with its great guitar solo (which garnered special cheers and applause). Keith talked a bit about being happy to be part of the show and said that when Kenny called and invited him to play he (Keith) had said “Let me think about it yeah okay” (all in one breath) J The word was that Nicole was present in Cleveland as well although we didn’t get to see her.

Well, shame on Kenny but he still did not allow his friend Keith to use the full catwalk. As with Kenny’s last tour the runway was physically blocked past the first “T” for all the other performers. So Keith did Raining on Sunday a bit closer to the stage than usual because of that limitation. He added in an extra line after “raining on Sunday”, saying that “It’s so much better than ‘raining on Saturday’” (and we had been so glad to see that Friday’s overcast skies had given way to skies as blue as Keith’s eyes by Saturday morning!).. This was followed by a totally rocking I Told You So (no drum corps of course)., a tender MMOU and heartfelt TIWC with the usual bit of playful piano lead-in. Of course all the Keith fans were totally into these songs but the slow songs do not quite have their usual impact on some of the rowdier ‘non-fans’ in a stadium crowd.

I was also a little surprised that no microphones had been provided at the right and left ends of the stage for the performers. This didn’t stop Keith from making his usual use of the stage ends – he just had to drag a microphone from center stage with him each time he journeyed out to the far ends.

Better Life was followed by Keith congratulating Chris M – Chris is getting married tomorrow!! Keith also thanked Dave and Shelly Fry (?) for flying them all back home after the show so that they can be there for the wedding.

YTOM got a great response from the crowd, as did Keith’s classic guitar riffs leading into YLGIMS. No venturing off stage tonight and Kenny was the one who gave a guitar away to a startled young girl later in the night.

Keith paused to remind us all that we are able to come out to enjoy music together because we are free but that freedom comes at a cost, and sent out a special thank you to all those fighting for and protecting that freedom overseas and their families. He finished off his performance with WWWBM and SLY, saying during this last song that “This one is for you Baby Girl!” (I assume he was saying this to Nicole off stage).

The hour and a quarter that Keith played went by far too fast (especially after being spoiled by those long tour shows), but even Kenny only played an hour and a half – I guess that is the price of a multi-performer concert.

With the exception of the catwalk situation I was pleasantly surprised by my stadium experience. I thought the sound was great and the big screens plus side screens provided a much better view than all the outdoor concerts I have been to in the past. For some reason I had missed any mention of Gary Allen appearing at this venue so was very pleased when he opened the show (not counting the couple songs by a local band that won Kenny’s “New Big Star” contest in this area). And another unexpected treat was Jennifer Nettles showing up during Kenny’s set and singing us “Stay” and also joining in with Kenny during his “Anything But Mine” towards the end of the show. Kenny’s set was fun but left me more convinced than ever that Keith is the EOTY!

PS Another special treat was getting to meet rum tum tugger at the show!

Loving Him in Lexington!

>Lexington was all blue skies and sunshine, gentle breezes and 65 degrees – perfect weather as far as I am concerned (especially since Iowa was expecting a late season snowstorm when I left – can you believe it!?). Had a talkative cabbie who asked a lot of questions about Keith and was rather astounded by my Keithie travels. I guess I am rather astounded too!

As soon as I dropped off my suitcase at the hotel I headed out to enjoy the weather and prowl around the Rupp looking for our guys on motorcycles. The buses were parked in a lot in the middle of the Rupp Arena and shopping & convention center complex – well guarded and out of reach of fans. But I sat on a cement wall, gazing down a driveway at the back entrance of the Rupp closest to the 2 buses with the motorcycle trailers. As I did I heard the deep guttural and incredibly loud sound of a BIG bike and I caught a glimpse of the cycle and rider unfortunately heading out of the opposite side of the parking lot. I was convinced that big bike must be Keith’s (although between the helmet and the distance I could not be sure). But what the heck – it was a lovely day for sitting in the sun, so I walked around the arena to that other driveway, found a comfie spot and settled in to await soundcheck time and, hopefully, the return of all riders. Lexington must be a friendly town, because locals kept coming up and sitting down next to me to chat. One guy was carrying his groceries home and pulled out a loaf of bread and coldcuts and asked if I would like a sandwich!! Anyway, at 3:20 two of the guys returned on smaller cycles (again their headgear and speed meant my guess that it was Brian and Jerry just that – a guess). Brad Rice once told me soundcheck was at 4:00, but no big bike returned by 4:00 or even 5:00, when I finally gave up and left for a Monkeyville pre-party.

I walked into the restaurant room Monkeys had reserved and grabbed an empty seat at a table only to discover that I knew all but one person from other concerts. Gaetane (sp?) from Montreal was there as well as the Michigan couple I had had dinner with at the Chicago Theatre concert way back in Feb 2007 and Tim who I had sold a ticket to in Green Bay. Small world and good company!

Since they were filming for the live concert DVD tonight there was one of those huge extra long camera booms set up about row 10 on the right side. With the long boom the camera could reach out to most of the right floor audience, sometimes coming down to face level to capture our singing or facial expressions. I think they had that same kind of boom at the Atlanta fan club concerts last year. Because of the filming Keith also had fun introducing most of the band members twice tonight – one time when they each sang their their little solos, and then, immediately after, another time without the singing. Keith explained that was just in case they didn’t get approval from the respective song “owners” for those little bits to be in the DVD.

Perhaps because it was Kentucky I swear the fragrance that they piped into the arena at showtime was the smell of a freshly opened can of sweet pipe tobacco!! At the break between Carrie and Keith it also smelled like this is an arena that allows smoking (or had a lot of smoking offenders).Tonight there were quite a few empty seats during Carrie’s set – it appeared lots of folks were coming primarily to hear Keith. The UK drum corps had seats in the risers at the far left of the stage so that they could enjoy Carrie and the very beginning of Keith’s set. And by the time he came on it was an awesome, totally hyped full-to-the-brim crowd who sang and cheered their hearts out until the final minute that Keith left the stage. (The Rupp Arena if both a deep and high arena with the longest staircase from the entry level to the floor that I have ever experienced!) The arena was hot and Keith was even hotter (my hair was as damp as Keith’s by night’s end).He was totally jubilant and playful and full of beaming smiles. Several times he made reference to this being the last of 107 shows (remember last year when we could hardly believe he would be able to do 100 in a year!) and that it was going to be a party. Once again he had fun with his exaggerated performer’s movements – e.g. at the end of DGB (which again seemed to have more new clips – sure hope they post that video on the website!) he stood on the runway with one leg raised for a full 20-30 seconds before finally breaking into that final DGB guitar solo at the end! Keith was wearing what I think was a vintage tee tonight – dark blue with what looked like a row of hearts stuck on the spikes of a wrought iron gate? Each of the other guys was dressed differently as usual – Brad in long sleeve tee, Chris R in a suitcoat, Jerry in a vest, Brian in a tie and dressshirt, Chris M in a bright orangish red tee. The guys also seemed to be in particularly high spirits tonight. I noticed at one point Brian and Jerry “leaping” at each other from across the stage (a la Keith and Jerry’s jousts at the beginning of WWWBM) just to switch up which ends of the stage they played on. They also seemed more playful on the small stage.

The first three songs of Keith’s set were as usual – thrilling OIAL, energy packed WTBE, and uplifting Shine, with the audience fully participating. Then when Keith paused for his usual welcoming of the crowd and drawing out the cheers of each section of the arena, there were lots of signs showing. Keith singled out a “cooperative effort” of 4 signs held by what looked like young high school girls. One said “I want to play your guitar” and the other 3 each said “Let her play your guitar”, with arrows pointing to the first gal. So Keith – the great sport that he is, invited Leslie up and gave her a stool and a guitar, She was just a tiny gal, maybe 15, but she immediately ran off some hot riffs on that guitar in front of 20,000 people!! Keith (and the audience) were totally floored – he nearly fell to the down with his delight and laughter! He did partially bow down to her, with arms raised over his head, making that “I am not worthy” type pf motion – so funny. So he asked what she wanted to play and she said she knew the solo to Raise the Barn. And she did! Keith let her start out alone but then joined in with his guitar and vocals and they rocked the house with a verse, chorus and guitar solo from Raise the Barn!!! It was fantastic and that gal may have a future – we need a few hot female guitarists in country bands!! After they finished Keith said “Thank you and good night!” because it really was like a rousing closing number.

I had a fantastic seat (from the Monkeyville presale) on the catwalk near the middle. Carrie’s catwalk microphone and Keith’s ROS microphone were 4 feet away from me and Keith began his duet with Carrie smack dab in front of me so that I stole a brief touch of his boot and leg. Also got 3 handslaps during the night (yay – they have to last me a while!) and many awesome close-ups. I could not manage to catch a pick however (Even though my sign tonight said “Pining for a Pick or to be Picked” with a picture of the pick with guitarmonkey on it. The Monkey on the catwalk of the row behind me got handed THREE picks during the evening!* One couple behind me had come to see Carrie and were a little uncertain whether they should bother to stay for Keith. They were surrounded by ardent fans who were shocked and convinced them that they had to stay for our “Entertainer of theYear”! Well, I noticed later in the show when I was perched on the catwalk barrier, the fellow was crawling on the floor under my feet, stretching to reach a guitar pick that had fallen close to the catwalk (and which I hadn’t noticed – damn!). He must have really been watching Keith play to notice the path of that stray pick from his mid-row seat!! I think we have a convert there!

Security was tighter last night, at least early on, There was no “catwalk aisle” – catwalk seats were pretty much up against the barrier. I got scolded twice for standing on the rail of the barrier to try to get my handslaps. I must say one’s “perspective” when you actually have a catwalk seat is a little different from recent discussions on the board (for instance when we were all urging bird to make the rush from her mid-row seat). Well, that’s what happened every time Carrie or Keith hit the runway – 4 or 5 gals from farther down the row very aggressively rushed the catwalk in my row sometimes shoving so hard they nearly displaced me – the ticket holder. Every time I stood up one of them would jump up on my chair and stand towering over me. If I wanted to briefly sit (like during the photos that precede UTTP) I had to ask them to get down from my chair. So although I am in favor of polite sharing of Keith access, I was a little miffed last night and had to do a little shouldering of my own to maintain my catwalk seat.

A little glitch when FC was to begin – the Shine background video started instead of the one for FC. Keith took the brief pause while they corrected things to give out additional thanks to the travelers, the nosebleed seat people and last night he gave a special thanks to those who travel to attend multiple concerts (yay!). He talked about the DVD filming and told us to be on our WORST behavior.:).

UTTP was back – I was so glad to hear it again. And the little stage set was extra fun with the double introductions I mentioned earlier. The Carrie duet, which Keith now does right after the band leaves the small stage – was rip-roaring hot – I so wish that they would record that as a single!! Keith was mobbed as usual when he went out in the audience during YLGIMS – one gal actually grabbed him and gave him a pretty big kiss on the cheek. He is a brave man to keep making that trip!

During the encore Keith did not do the usual “Blister in the Sun”. Instead he asked us to bear with him while he did something crazy (at which point the crowd cheered of course!). He said he felt like singing something different even though with was actually written for a female. “So just forget that I’m a guy for the moment!”(Fat chance of that Keith!) and did a lovely rendition of an Emmy Lou Harris song Kentucky Girl. During GIRTT Keith said he had been dedicating the song all tour to one wonderful person, his wife, and “Thank God she is here tonight!” I think Nicole was offstage because Keith kept pointing, looking and grinning at the side of the stage. A camera did catch a shot of her blushing and hiding her face, but she was against a brick background, another reason that I don’t think she was out in the arena proper. So maybe that’s why there was no sign of Keith on cycle at 4:00-5:00 – maybe he was off lunching with Nicole. Lot of colorful confetti tonight – especially up front – so the stage looked like a beautiful kaleidoscope for Everybody. Keith first again thanked everyone who had been coming to the shows because for him it had been the most amazing, fun, awe-inspiring, joyful, spiritually-rewarding tour that he had ever been on in his lifetime (he may have even had a few more adjectives – it was very moving!) Thank you Keith – believe me your fans feel the same way about this magnificent tour!! It was unforgettable!! But I could tell his voice was getting a little shaky during those thanks and by the time he was one verse into the closing song Everybody, big tears were just rolling down his face on the big screen. I don’t know how he was able to continue singing – I think many fans could not sing a peep with those great big lumps in their throats!

I yelled out my “Thank you Keith!!!” as he made his final hand-slapping journey down the runway, collecting oodles of tiny shirts, monkeys, roses and the like. He stopped to sign 6-8 autographs on various pictures and posters. Some fans around me were in tears – such a wonderful show but a bittersweet ending to this long exciting tour. I believe the show ended between 12:30 and 12:45 (I didn’t get to my hotel right across the street until after 1:00 AM).

P.S. Sunday morning and I am sitting in the Lexington airport, and in walks Brad Rice with the head honcho of the stagecrew (sorry, don’t know the name of the guy who hustles back and forth between the main stage and small stage). “That was a fantastic show last night!” I told Brad. “We’re all sorry to have the tour end although we know you guys need a break.” He replied that they were sorry it was ending too, and that they were looking forward to the shows with Kenny this summer. He was a very “Sweet B” and willing to chat. We went through security and ended up at the same coffee shop, at which point I decided to ask him for a photo op. He was happy to oblige – put his arm around me after draping his LPATWCT backstage access badge around my neck and StageGuy shot our picture. Then Brad gave me both one of his guitar picks and one of Keith’s!! So I did finally get my picks and a very nice conversation to boot. When I left the guys to drink my coffee at another table I could still catch their fun conversation on their experience of the various little snafus of the tour – the amps that went dead, Chris R. being unexpectedly tethered by cords that got caught on something, who was responsible for the early confetti release in Raleigh, the problems during the DVD filming and so forth (sorry for eavesdropping guys!). When I went to my gate, lo and behold they were on the same flight, so I popped one additional question to Brad. “Is there an expected release date for the DVD?” “Sometime in September” he volunteered! Yay!!! What a glorious trip!

* I later learned she (and sometimes bits of me) was being filmed for the "Greatest Fans" special!

Carolina On My Mind

>It is a gorgeous night in North Carolina – it was such a pleasure to walk back to my hotel from the RBC Center, aglow with that Keith buzz. I couldn’t help but whistle most of the way. It is amazing that with every Keith concert one can fall in love anew (not that I ever felt my urbanitis waning, but each new concert packs a whallop in my affections).

My suitcase didn’t arrive with me so I ended up attending the concert in the long skirt I had traveled in, and without my camera strap and sign, but what the hey. I arrived at the arena just before the doors opened. The BSE folks were entering the door next to mine and I asked if anyone had an extra pass, just in case J (fat chance!). I used my hour before showtime well – had my picture taken by Verizon to show on the big screen and entered the BBQ contest again, filmed another video “with Keith” – this time with both of us singing I Told You So, found the Monkeyville passport table and had me some North Carolina BBQ, complete with the coleslaw on the sandwich and some sweet tea.

I was pleasantly surprised that Floor 3 was not as far back as I had anticipated. Although I was about 9 seats away from the catwalk, my row was even with Keith’s microphone at the end of the walk, just ahead of the small stage, where plenty of action takes place. I didn’t have a chance to cross to the opposite side to look for board buddy bird in Floor 2, but I did try to send her a text message hello on the the big screen. Verizon texted me a thank you for my message saying watch for it on the screen but I don’t think it ever showed up.

Carrie put on a good performance although I think she sang a few more songs from her new album that I was not familiar with. She has increased her “chatting” with the audience, which is nice. She apologized to the folks in the nosebleed seats saying she would invite them all down to the stage if she could. She joked about the audience sort of being her “boss” since they voted her “into office” when she was on Idol. She also made kind of a odd joke (I guess) about this being the time when she “sucks up to the audience” and told us, laughing, that we were an awesome audience. During her set many security manned the catwalk area keeping the audience at bay. Tonight they had about a 3 foot gap between the seats and the catwalk, so early in the evening I was not sure if the intent was to keep the audience away or to invite them up to the walk. After Carrie the catwalk security essentially disappeared so that gap completely filled with standers. I felt sorry for those sitting next to the catwalk who might have thought they had a secure view, but if they weren’t quick they lost it! There seemed to be a different DJ tonight – PJ Scully, so when Keith thanked him he made no reference to the “Twin Disks of Love”.

At the last show I attended Keith had a one minute countdown clock, but not tonight. The lights went down, eliciting the usual screams, and they went right into the astronomical background of OIAL. I was immediately a goner, nearly moaning when Keith appeared in silhouette, because of that thigh keeping the OIAL beat. Mercy!

And when the lights came up and we could see him in that cream colored tee that he began wearing in Charlottesville – oh Lordy! The tee has somewhat shorter sleeves, I think, and I could hardly take my eyes off those lovely bulging biceps, muscles pulsing as he tore into that guitar. There were other distractions though. You could see Keith’s pecs right through that soft teeshirt fabric (that man has been working that body!!) – pecs and nipples ( oh the urge just to give one of them a little tweak!). His hair looked great – trimmed fairly short on the sides, with a few blond streaks and exceptional flippage during his duet with Carrie and WWWBM. The voice, the music, the dimples and grins were wonderful as usual and he graced us with several rather mischevious smiles, biting his lower lip while he ripped off those riffs.

There were lots and lots of signs tonight – Keith had the camera pan the audience and I couldn’t even read them all. He invited one teenage gal up on stage with her “Picture Me With You- Making Memories of Us” sign – with 2 holes cut for her and Keith’s faces to stick through. Lucky girl got several squeezes and multiple photo poses.

Tonight, instead of playing “Let’s Get It On” as she walked up on stage, the band played Johnny Cash’s “I Hear the Train A-Coming”!??

Keith hammed it up a bit on the piano before TIWC, running clear off the upper range of the keyboard leaning out so far he almost fell off the bench. He also was goofing with the guys – at one point before WWWBM he managed to make “bunny ears” (or are they devil’s horns?) on Chris R’s head on the big screen by positioning his hand just right in the line of the camera (even though Chris was several feet away). There were some new clips in the DGB fan video. And, as sweetness reported in Charlottesville, each of the guys (except Chris M) did a bit of a solo when they were introduced – that was fun to hear. I particularly enjoyed Chris R singing Hot Blooded. Keith received an abundance of flowers and gifts during the evening. At one point he was playing a guitar solo with 3 pink roses clenched in his teeth and he performed part of one song (I’m blanking on which) in a cowboy hat

When Keith came back on stage for the encore he sang a couple lines of “In my mind I’m going to Carolina” (can’t remember the actual title of that James Taylor song….). He was also a hoot because he came back on stage kind of chewing, apologizing for being slow because he had been hungry and grabbed something to eat ( and he continued kind of chewing and wiping his lips on and off for the first couple minutes). He told us that not only would he be leaving with fond memories of North Carolina but he had bought another motorcycle that day at the Capitol BMW dealership! (He did precede that story with a disclaimer that he does not “pledge allegiance” to any one brand of cycle – anything with 2 wheels is fine with him). He thanked the salesman for riding his old cycle back to the arena for himJ He dedicated GIRTT to his “very pregnant wife”.

I had a terrific time – how could I not??? – but there were a couple disappointments tonight. First – I was disappointed in the audience – quite a few of which left early, leaving some obvious gaps in the seating. And then a couple set changes: No trip into the audience during YLGIMS!! And naturally tonight I slipped out of my seat and positioned myself near the stairway he usually ascends, but then he never left stage L

Maybe those women who swamped him at the last concert were just too much??? No confetti during Better Life (may have been due to a malfunctioning system since a small spurt of confetti did appear during SLY).And then no Everybody!! The show felt a little incomplete without that wonderful closing number. This is the first show I have seen with the Keith/Carrie duet – has Everybody been omitted at the other concerts where they added the duet?? Or might Keith have actually been responding to the gaps in the audience?? No thank yous tonight for crew or those who stayed to “the bitter end”, as he usually does. But Keith did stay on stage and walked the catwalk long after the band had left the stage. He slapped hands, thanked much of the audience, accepted more gifts and even signed a couple autographs,

Outstanding in Omaha!

>Keith had the Omaha audience in the palm of his hand last night!! They (we) were just crazy for him and cheered and screamed at every opportunity, not just after songs. He was just astounded by how much supportive noise we were making clear to the end of the evening, saying things like “I love it here”, “What do they put in the water here?” “I’m going to move to Nebraska!” and finally thanking us for being such an amazing crowd and staying to the very end. And thank you Keith (and the guys) for putting on such an amazing performance!!!

His set began with the great OIAL opening and then WTBE, but then Keith said they had to stop and do things a little different because it was Chris Rodriguez’s birthday. Keith wanted to lead 15,000 people in the singing of Happy Birthday to Chris, and so he did! He gave Chris a big hug and said that Chris was 29 – again! J Chris wore a shiny red cone shaped birthday party hat for the next song or two.

BTW, towards the end of her set Carrie made a point of saying what nice, sweet guys Keith and his band are and how she loves touring with them “And I don’t have to say that, but it is absolutely true.” she added.

ROS was fantastic as usual – especially with such a participatory crowd. They loved Keith’s extra dramatic pause before the chorus and how he then laughed at his dramatics. He added a few extra lines at the end – they were a surprise and I didn’t catch the exact wording – but he sang to us something like “I’m going to sleep Saturday night in Omaha and then stay in bed all Sunday, and maybe the next day, and the next day, even if it is not raining on Sunday!”

I was pleased to hear the amazed comments of some of the guys sitting near me – obviously first timers at a Keith concert. “Now he’s going to play the bass guitar too!!” “He does keyboard as well !??” when Keith moved to the piano, and several comments to the effect of “This is just great!” They seemed to be as awed as we are.

Used to the Pain was back again tonight!! Yeah! So apparently its omission in KC was just temporary. On the small stage Keith and Jerry reminisced about playing in a club in Lincoln on Halloween (of all nights) to about 30 people. “37 “ said Jerry, so then Keith thanked those 37 for bringing out their friends tonight.

Tonight for his classic guitar riffs Keith had a good looking shiny black guitar. He was totally mobbed during his walk into the stands – he could hardly move and it took forever to make it up the stairs to mid-lower bowl and finally stand on a chair because he was so surrounded by adoring fans. We, on the floor, made worried comments to each other – was he going to make it? Will he actually be hurt this time? He gave the guitar (signed in white tonight) to a delighted young girl, although there too there was almost a fist fight as different fans grabbed hold of different parts of the instrument trying to claim it. But Keith made clear who he was handing it to and managed to plough through the crowd back to stage seemingly unharmed. I understand ardent fans but I hope their passion doesn’t ruin this fun attempt to interact with the audience and make Keith think twice about venturing off stage.

Before the encore the sound from the crowd was absolutely thunderous. And in contrast to cell phone sparse Kansas City, it looked like all 15000 cell phones were out, calling Keith back to stage – an amazing sight even before he organized the cell phone wave! He was quite tickled by the sight.

One of the funniest highlights of the evening came during the encore. Keith returned to stage with a video camera of his own, moving it to capture all parts of this amazing audience. It was such a cute turn around of all of us constantly snapping shots of him. He set what seemed to be a running video cam on top of his piano, facing the audience, so that he could continue to film us during the cell phone wave and GIRTT.

He again pitted one side of the risers against the other for the privilege of starting the wave and worked them up to a fever pitch, finally saying “Nebraska – a state that will fight to start a cell phone wave!” Gotta love it!

He was particularly profuse with his thanks to the crowd tonight – I think Omaha was an extra fine ending to his 3 day run in this part of the country. I’m sorry that it is over!

Backstage with Sweet Sweet Keith

>I was sitting at my desk at work, grading student exams, when my computer made its “You’ve got new mail” sound and the sender was listed as Monkeyville. Thinking it might be notice of a new concert date or presale, I opened the email immediately. But, praise the Lord, it wasn’t either of those – it was a “You have won a Backstage Experience in Omaha”email!! “Yes!!” I shouted and did one exuberant happy dance in my chair, reading and re-reading the message! My youngest daughter (my concert partner this time) would be a little jealous, but she had won a BSE in Memphis, so she couldn’t complain too much, right? Besides we know those BSE passes are non-transferable, right? Okay, Mom is not going to feel guilty about going to the BSE.

We arrived in Omaha about 4:30 and stopped at the Qwest Center Box Office. “Do you have the Keith Urban Backstage Experience envelopes?” I asked the woman manning the ticket window. “No, we don’t know anything about backstage passes.” she replied and my face no doubt fell. But luckily a voice from the back room of the box office chimed in and said “Oh yes we do!” and another woman carried out a box of envelopes. She checked my photo ID and pulled out an envelope with KEITH URBAN and the tour’s heart symbol on it, with my name written across the top. It was really true! I had a pass!

I arrived about 15 minutes before the stated meeting time, only to find about 50 others with BSE passes were already there. The staff seemed a bit disorganized – I guess every arena set-up is a little different – so first they lined us up one way, then they changed their minds and moved the line to another location. Then they started marching us in, but once again changed their minds, so back in line we went. Finally the staff led us backstage and lined us up once more for pictures. Gosh there seemed to be a lot of us – some with Monkeyville passes, some with radio station passes, some with Verizon passes. While we waited Chris McHugh was talking to some of the fans.

When Keith finally came out to greet the first photo group he looked gorgeous. Dark blue new looking jeans, light brown button down shirt nicely unbuttoned, with pockets on both the right and left sides with pearly looking buttons; hair shiny, straight and smooth - that new haircut is looking great! Sweet shyish smile, hands often going in his jeans pockets when he was not greeting fans. Mmm – fine!

I was in the 3^rd group of ~10 to be photographed. Of course I was hoping to get to stand next to Keith, but in fact I was the very last person in my group so was actually the farthest away from our man. Still happy to be there I hoped the photographer got the far ends of the line of fans in his photo (he promised me that he did : )

No hugs for anyone tonight, but Keith did go down the line of fans, saying hello and shaking hands with each and every person (now I can’t wash that hand again!). When he took my hand I prolonged the moment and said “Thank you for your wonderful music Keith!” (as he continued to hold my hand :) , He replied “You are entirely welcome Sweetheart!” . Sigh – my first “Sweetheart”! Then our group was directed to a dark passageway across the hall leading to the backstage experience room. My group, no offense, kind of moved like an unruly group of cattle. A big guy in front of me, who had been moving forward, made a sudden backstep. I, in turn, had to backstep to get out of his way, bumping into Keith and nearly knocking him over in the process! (really – the full body contact (back to back) was accidental! I swear!) Frightful images of me wounding the star attraction moments before the show popped into my mind! (“We’re sorry to announce the show has been canceled because Linda rear-ended Keith.”) I apologized profusely for nearly toppling him over. “Not a problem Baby!” he replied. Ooh – a “Baby” for me too, in that wonderful accent. I was floating on a cloud.

Down the winding dark passageway was the velvet-curtained, dimly lit BSE room. Considering that I was in the 3^rd photo group I was happy to find a chair just 2 seats away from the stool Keith would be performing from. Klutz that I am however, I nearly fell into that seat but the gallant cowboy in the next chait caught me. I believe the funny and endearing video they showed us about the band and the tour was an updated version with some different segments than what was shown in 2007. Thoroughly enjoyable – all the guys are so funny and Keith was positively droll.

After the video Keith came in, sat on the stool just a few feet away and asked what we’d like to hear him sing. Someone immediately said MMOU (I would have chosen a song that was not in the concert set list). But of course it was beautiful to hear up close and personal. It made me wonder whether he sang it any differently at his wedding.

I so enjoy that Keith never hesitates to make fun of himself. Tonight, before singing, he first reported that he got lost in the dark winding passageway and ended up in a different room before finding us. The he looked at all of us and confessed that he was wondering how in the heck to gracefully get rid of the gum in his mouth in front of 50 people. And proceeded to take it out and stick it to the candle table next to him. (a woman promptly asked if she could have his chewed gum!!!). He then said that when he put the gum down he worried for an instant that he was going to burn his arm on the nearby candles – only to realize they are fake candles, at which point he pressed the “lit” end of a fake candle against his cheek. Too funny!

Then the Q & A. The first question was about his Ipod (most listened to song right now and most embarrassing song). Keith said he had bought an album today and was listening to the music of Ashton Shepard (not sure that is her spelling) over and over. He said he had a lot of “guilty pleasures” on his Ipod but he couldn’t think of what was most embarrassing. One guy piped up with “the Carpenters?” but ever diplomatic Keith said he liked the Carpenters…..

A guy congratulated Keith on his upcoming fatherhood and asked if Keith was hoping for a boy or a girl and did they have names yet? Keith said they felt very blessed and just hoped for a healthy baby. Another guy asked about what guitarists influenced him. Keith mentioned some of the usuals we have heard about in interviews (like Knopfler) but also mentioned he learned a lot from local Australian guitarists that his parents took him to see at local pubs and clubs, starting when he was just 9 (and made a joke about his folks taking him to bars at that age). He also mentioned Vince Gill, a person I don’t recall Keith citing as an influence before.

My question was “Is there a concert DVD coming in the near future?” Keith seemed to like that question and talked about it for a few minutes, saying they had filmed at at lot of the venues on the first leg and thought that they were nearly done, but then the second leg expanded and Keith decided they needed to keep filming. He mentioned they would film at the 2 Atlanta shows and also the Lexington show, and then probably will be done.

But they will have a huge amount of footage to go through to make the DVD and probably will include a lot of bonus segments as well. He didn’t sound like they had a firm date in mind for the DVD’s release.

So our sweet sweet man was such a pleasure to be with, even if I didn’t get to cuddle up next to him in a photo or get a hug and a smell of that lovely neck. Something to hope for and look forward to I guess!