By the Time I Got to Phoenix (it was sweltering..):Keith Urban at the Jobing Arena

I arrived in Phoenix on a hot and sunny afternoon. As Keith quipped late last night “It was 112 today but it felt like 107. That;s what I love above Phoenix!” : ) His venue here last tour was the US Airways Center right in the heart of downtown, but this year the show was at the Jobing Arena, way way out in suburbia so it was quite a shuttle ride to get there. After dropping off my suitcase I headed over to the KNIX pre-party just outside the arena, I submitted my name to their drawings (for 2 pair of BSEs, second and first row seats) and waited in the heat until all the prizes had been awarded (no luck today). Sarah Buxton, who had been scheduled to play at the preparty before she got the opening gig, to her credit, did not cancel out on KNIX and she did 3 songs on their small stage including Stupid Boy. I was hoping to get a call from someone who had emailed about my extra ticket before I went through the arena gates, but finally retreated to the air-conditioned interior. Whew!!

Although the Jobing arena was not noticably larger than the usual venue they had the floor set up slightly differently tonight. The sound mix area was smack-dab in the middle of the floor area, with the small stage just slightly beyond the middle. There was what looked to be a large fenced in general admission area beyond the small stage but it didn’t extend all the way to the risers at the end.  That left an almost as large unfenced empty floor region beyond what I thought was GA. I say “thought” because unlike the other shows with GA, no one was present in that fenced in area early in the evening (no one or few there for Sara). It filled up during the break (like the front stage and catwalk areas) so maybe it was just folks who had seats who moved into that area for Keith’s performance rather than true GA.

The arena was almost full when Sarah Buxton came on. I thought (and it appeared the crowd thought) she was terrific in her first big show. She was as full of energy as Keith - constantly moving and dancing, very interactive with the audience and talking a lot during her set.  She made it clear how thrilled she was to be there, with at least a half dozen comments like “ This is probably the best day of my life!” or “ Don’t want to be mean but I’m sure glad Sugarland canceled this gig.” She was dressed in a short sundress (with shorts underneath I believe), a floppy sunhat, and bare feet from the very start. She twice went down each of the ramps, greeting and shaking hands with fans in the front section while she sang. During her first trip down a ramp she seemingly spontaneously found a male dance partner and they kind of jitterbugged for a few moments. They did so well together that I then thought maybe this had been planned (she did say her family was in the audience) but it was still very fun. I enjoyed all of her songs and she is pretty darned good on the harmonica. She did not, in deference to Keith I’m sure, sing Stupid Boy in the Jobing. She did a great job of warming up the audience; much as I like Sugarland I did not miss them last night because of Sara. She closed by reving us up once more “ Are you all ready to see my very favorite country artist, the amazing Keith Urban??” Yes we were, but congratulations Sarah on a great show!

Of course for multiple reasons I don’t think the audience needed “warming up”!! They seemed to be wired from the start. During the break, for the first time in all my concerts,  this crowd spontaneously and successfully did a huge wave (involving all levels of seating) that went around the arena about six times!!! It was quite amazing and only ended when Keith’s opening music began. During the pre-encore blackout there was a huge number of cell phone lights waving and flickering - nearly as many as when, in the “cell phone wave” days Keith would ask everyone to take our their phone (but nobody needed to ask this time!). What an audience!

The first couple songs I was watching Keith for any signs that he was still having pinched nerve problems. He did a great job but (to my practiced eye) I thought he was just a little more tentative, or reserved in his moves during Hit the Ground and Days Go By. Most would never notice it but I thought he was limiting his shoulder roll type and head movements. And maybe he was sort of “testing the waters” for what he could handle. When he did chat with the audience after Stupid Boy, he began with his usual “We made it back! Its been two years but we made it back!”  He then said he had “to stop and give special thanks to someone right here in town.” Apparently someone in the pit piped up at that point because he then said “No, not you baby.” “But thank you anyway.” hee hee He went on to tell the story of how he had been playing in Sacramento and  about halfway through “My neck just went insane and suddenly seized up” (his words) He said that after that it was one of the most difficult shows he had ever done (poor baby!). They flew down to Phoenix after the show and someone put them in touch with chiropractor Dan Morgan. Keith said Dan “snapped me around a bit” and that, after working on him for a while, Morgan had said “Son, your head was not on straight.” And Keith replied “My dad has been telling me that for years!” (I love when he tells stories!!) He thanked Dan again and praised him saying he was so damned good and wished him a happy birthday in 2 days. Anyway it seemed that Keith was feeling good and once he got his confidence that there wasn’t going to be a recurrence Keith was in fine form all night, as active as usual, doing his back bends and having a great time. I’m so glad he was feeling better!

We were treated to one of those crazy “bird calls”  in Blacktop (see clip) and Brad and Brian thrilled some of the ramp crowd by taking a running leap and sliding all the way down the left hand ramp into the crowd. Keith added some really high whoo-hooing to Better Half - he definitely has his range back. He also had some new improvisation to the extended Better Half melody he plays as he travels to the small stage. Interestingly, even though the stage was much closer to the middle of the arena in Phoenix, Keith still went all the way to the arena end to access it.

They seemed to have a few more sound problems (especially on the small stage) so that three or four times during the Keith would have to ask for particular adjustments before he  played a song. OIAL was a big hit triggering lots of singing. Keith again ended it by twice repeating that Stevie Nicks “wild winged dove” line he used in L.A. (see clip), but did not follow those with the “on the edge of seventeen” line as he had before. Instead he said “Here we go now” and went into his fancy guitar “breakdown” as he calls it. Making Memories was dedicated to “everyone here who is in love tonight.” (Does he realize how many of us are in love with him at those shows?)

Keith seemed particularly tickled by the singing last night and kept throwing out encouragements like “Hell yes!” and “Right on!” (that was a new one for me). He closed Only You Can Love Me by shouting out “How about it Phoenix? Do you know what I mean?” He also seemed particularly pleased with his bandmates, giving each an especially affectionate grin and squeeze after their introductions. And he followed Brian’s solo with the compliment “Pretty damned good!” I had to laugh that with each he talked about their vo -CALs, putting a strange emphasis on the second syllable for some reason.

Phoenix was graced with a return of the song improvisation (see clip) when Keith came out on the catwalk for Raining on Sunday. I believe it went like this:

Hey Phoenix are you feeling alright tonight?

Are you feeling alright tonight?

Tell me one more thing --

Are you feeling as good as you look?

Do you feel as good as you look?

I don’t even know what that means

Kinda just making up this song as I go along

They said today was 112 and it only felt like 107!

That’s what I love about Phoenix!

No skimping on emotion and passion tonight - there was enough power to the music for goosebumps and chills galore. In Til Summer Comes Around there were three longing, heartbroken “I miss your love!”’s preceding that wondrous guitar solo. And in You’ll Think of Me Keith once again ended with those lines he used in L.A.: “I hope when you see my face it gives you hell! It gives you hell!!”

But light-hearted, silly Keith was there too - with his ululalic cries and hamming it up in I Told You So to his “Chorus leader”antics as he had each part of the audience sing You look Good in My Shirt  (see clip) while he was up in the stands. “ I can’t hear you-u-u” he taunts one group, “Helloooo” (sort of a “anybody there?” hello) for the end of arena singers.

Keith’s thank yous to the audience for making it to the show seem more heart felt each time. Tonight his assessment of the evening was that “it was the most magical, the awesomest night ever!” (awesomest! : ) )

I overheard a couple near me talking about Keith’s “incredible showmanship”. He had us with him to the very end when, during the band bow, he blew a couple kisses (see clip) and pointed to someone in the audience (?) (me perhaps?). He slapped or ran his hands across hundreds of hands at the edge of the stage, indicated a final thank you and then disappeared off the stage. Tonight the “Believe” collage continued over the credits at concert end. I do believe one can never get enough of the man and his music!

Videos to come....

A few longer clips I put on Youtube:

Hit the Ground Running

Stupid Boy

Once In A Lifetime Love

You Look Good in My Shirt

L.A. Story: Keith Urban at the Staples Center

I’m proud of myself! I’ve never been to Los Angeles before but I made it to my hotel via L.A.’s public transportation rather than paying expensive shuttle rates from LAX (which is about 30 minutes from downtown). Things were kind of quiet downtown on a Sunday until I approached the Staples Center for the concert - then there were lots and lots of people because the Staples is probably among the largest of arenas. It was quite a contrast to the Mandalay the night before. There were probably 60 rows of risers in 2 levels and 3 floors of club suites between those levels. The arena floor was also longer, so there were many rows of floor seats beyond the small stage (slightly elevated), in front of the regular end-of-arena risers. There were crowds around the sound mix area (in between it and the small stage) but I was too far away to see what was actually going on, They also sold tickets in risers farther forward than at most venues, so some folks were beyond the side exit ramps that the bands use to leave the arena and were almost up to the video screens!! But it must have been a sell-out because even the most tippy-toppy rows were filled! And filled for the opening act too!

The crowd was definitely more diverse and a little different than usual. Many more dresses and long skirts and many fewer tank tops or cut-offs, guys with big heads and small fedoras, some young boys who didn’t even look 12 wearing 2007 tour shirts! LOL I tried to participate in Verizon’s usual pre-show text message contests (seat upgrade, BBQ) but my Verizon phone did not work there!! So, no, they could not hear me! Bad job Verizon! My seat, from Ebay, was in a good viewing position (row 17 on the riser aisle in line with the front of the stage but unfortunately I had a lot of drinkers in my row who were in and out of the row many many times, always during my favorite parts of songs :( !! So my shots of the show are probably scanty and interrupted this time. At about their 6th trip to the bar, during the Stupid Boy guitar solo, I wanted to yell at them “I came all the way from Iowa for this solo - your cocktail can wait one damn minute!!”

I was disappointed when I learned that Sugarland had once again been forced to cancel their appearance. I haven’t listened to much Lady Antebellum music but I was quite wowed by them!! To me they do have a bit of a Sugarland vibe, with Hilary’s distinctive voice and the male (very easy on the eyes ; )) lead singer. They sounded great, have quite a mature stage presence for a newer group, and really pleased the audience, eliciting quite a roar when they came on stage. I enjoyed all of their songs, especially getting a kick out of how they merged their “I’m just looking for a good time” with “you shook me all night long”. The audience did sit through most of their set, but when, towards the end, they did an awesome cover of Mellencamp’s Hurt So Good everyone was on their feet singing and moving!

During the break half of the big curtain got stuck up on its curtain rod requiring “curtain man” to crawl out on the rail high, high above the arena floor to fix it. Watching him was almost like being back watching some of the aerial bits of Cirque de Soleil! They have changed up the before show and break music again so I’ve been hearing Goodbye Earl, Keep on Dancin’, Boy Like Me, and some song about “I’ll be your daddy all night long” (?) multiple times each show. I wonder if Keith picks all the songs? Tonight at show start the big curtain was initially surrounded by down-facing blue spotlights, then blue and red. They also seemed to have some new colored down-lighting later on during Tonight I Wanna Cry.

Keith was in dark red and gray plaid tonight with black jeans. When he chatted with the audience a little after Stupid Boy he mentioned his many early performances in L.A. with The Ranch. Although I didn’t see it, I think he read and responded to a sign because he congratulated a couple on just getting married, saying happy anniversary first but then correcting himself- “I guess I should say happy hitching!”. As he looked out at this immense arena filled with fans all up on the feet he grinned and said “It looks so damn good from up here, let me tell you!!” When he went off the stage during Better Half L.A. was initially quite polite, so he made it almost 3/4’s of the way back on the floor just smiling and playing. But then a few huggers slowed him down. Unfortunately that put the idea in the fans’ heads, so on his return trip to the front stage he had a huge number of huggers AND at least 6-8 kissers, as well as about 4 grown men who hugged him (obviously making fun of all the ladies).LOL

But wait, I skipped over the small stage songs. Once on stage, still playing his ‘traveling Better Half interlude’ he said “Breakdown now” (musical term?) and did some fancy strumming. At the end of Once in a Lifetime Keith incorporated a little Stevie Nicks into the ending - “Just like the wild winged dove... the wild winged dove... on the edge of seventeen”. (Any significance to that you think? Is Nic’s daughter about to turn 17?) (PS I think the actual lyric is white winged dove but listen to the clip - I'm pretty sure Keith is singling wild winged) The loudly cheering back arena crowd made Keith joke “It’s so quiet back here - like a library.” I love it when he kids around but especially love those accompanying deep sexy chuckles! In Making Memories he brought in some “pretty baby”’s that made me suspicious. And sure enough - Nicole was there last night! Keith confirmed it when he dedicated Only You Can Love Me saying “This is dedicated to my wife who happens to be here tonight and I’m very happy about that!”, During that song he included a very emotional sounding “ You know it’s true baby girl” after the final chorus (awww) (see videoclip). We were treated to a few shots of her singing along (to WWWBM and KAG, maybe others) but I don’t know where she was located.

Okay, maybe it is the psychologist in me, but last night it seemed I was seeing “significance” everywhere. Another example- at the ending Who Wouldn’t Wanna Be Me, where Keith usually improvises by filling in different songs in “and she’s singing _______ to me” - well last night “she” wasn’t singing. Instead the line was “She said to me “Oh yes!”!! (see video) So what does that mean? A reference to their recent anniversary? A reference to a pregnancy test? (it is anyone’s guess, but I doubt it is a random phrase!) And in Kiss a Girl he changed his voice and put some special emphasis on the last “kissing on the porch swing.” Little bits of communication to his ‘special audience member’ tonight, no doubt!

Brian, who Keith introduced as being from the musically rich heritage state of West Virginia, again did a great job on the Journey song “Open Arms” again. He is such a cutie! (see video) Later Keith introduced “Chris McHugh - How do you do??” Chris has cut off most of his curls and has pretty short hair at the moment and beat a veritable storm on those drums after his intro.

Because of my position in the risers I noticed for the first time that those red lyrics at the end of If Ever I Could Love appear, not only on the video walls, but also on the side screens, but when the ‘beating braver heart” appears there they keep it just as a heart outline that is superimposed on the shots of Keith singing the song. Guess you need about 10 pairs of eyes to catch everything about Keith, the guys, the video walls and the side screens are doing at any point in time! Raining on Sunday was introduced by the strong rhythmic strums that Keith has used at several shows, but then also by a beautiful perhaps 30-45 seconds of ‘Spanish flamenco guitar-like running of the notes up and down those guitar frets. (see video) Another side of Keith’s guitar wizardry! They had a little bit of video and lighting problems during Til Summer Comes Around. The video walls initially did not come all the way down and the wrong bright lights were turned on showing a surprised band and the weird back wall view when the screens are horizontal but still 20 feet above their heads. The seaside scenes did not play on the side screens. But eventually things got corrected to create the right mood for the song --amazing as usual. I am so happy that Keith’s voice has just been as clear and sweet as possible, with no signs of the little problems he had early in the tour. He could not sound better!

Keith was really being playful during I Told You So! So we heard everything from what I would call a “wild African birdcall” to his deep ‘silly voice” for the last “better together” line to the special descending whoa -a - whoa chorus he sometimes throws in. He did a particularly impassioned You'll Think of Me triggering my fourth set of goosebumps fo the night when he almost growled out, at the end, a very emotional "I hope my face gives you hell! I hope my face gives you hell!" (All American Rejects) that left us spent.

With the arena darkened and the light-up guitar switched on, Keith did some extended guitar play before You Look Good in My Shirt. I think the color-switches on that guitar can be set to switch with the chords played and it was just a psychedelic light show last night. I videoed the big screen view of his guitar playing and with those lights it looks like something from the ’60’s (or maybe a rave)(see video) . Wish we could also see the enjoyment on the master’s face at the same time! Keith did go out into the audience during this song tonight (guess all those hugs and kisses didn’t discourage him!) and while perched on his little platform in the risers, had such a good time leading the whole arena (one section at a time) in a sing along of the chorus. He was besieged again as he returned to stage, but took it in such good spirits that as he passed one of his cameramen he took the time to go nose-to-lens with the camera, mugging it up for us!

Then on to the energetic Somebody Like You with its jumping in circles and backbend. Another mysterious phrase (to me anyway) before the guitar bridge in that song - Keith shouted out “Here we go Johnny boy!” Johnny boy?? All tour Keith has, after wholeheartedly thanking the audience for doing what they had to do to come to the show in these tough times, ended by telling the audience to believe in themselves before going into Better Life. Well now he has added emphasis to that sentiment by having a ‘collage’ of the word Believe in different sizes and fonts overlaying what is on the video walls during that final song. (see video) I was so surprised to see it that, like a little kid, I pointed to the screens and said “Believe! Believe!” to the person next to me. (they probably expected me to say “Clap for Tinkerbelle” next LOL) Keith really wants the show to be, not only an escape, but also an uplifting, encouraging and hope-giving experience. And it definitely is!!

PS My traveler's 'tasting' for today - powdered sumac (a middle eastern seasoning) (I have sumacs growing in my yard but never considered eating them!)

I couldn't get some of the longer clips to load on this site so I've posted these additional L.A. videos on Youtube:
Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me
Kiss A Girl
Only You Can Love Me This Way
Intro to Raining on Sunday
Playing With His Light Up Guitar
Somebody Like You

Oh What A Night: Keith Urban in Las Vegas!!

Well sometimes you just can’t follow that old “whatever happens in Vegas stays in Vegas” rule! Keith’s show at Mandalay Bay was so special - it certainly needs to be shared!

Las Vegas was hot, hot, hot even before Keith got on stage (about 115 degrees) and the air conditioning most places just didn’t seem to be keeping up. I made the most of my short visit to Sin City, catching a fantastic Cirque de Soleil show called Ka at the MGM Hotel the night I arrived, and the cool Shark Reef at the Mandalay Saturday afternoon. I looked longingly at the arena box office where 2 years ago I picked up a Backstage Pass to meet Keith. But I couldn’t complain - I had gotten a good floor seat in the Monkeyville pre-sale, just 2 rows behind the elite “front” section. I had forgotten that the Mandalay Bay Arena is pretty small -even smaller than the Mohegan Sun I believe. I only counted 20 rows of risers (not even a full alphabet!) and there were only 4 rows of front section seats between me and the end of the right-hand runway so I knew it would be a good night. Happily the air-conditioning in the arena was cranked up so initially a few complained that it was too cold (something that almost never happens in Vegas!), but I knew that situation wouldn’t last long.

The audience was a bit slow to arrive (maybe because of all those bars, restaurants and gambling opportunities on the long walk through the Mandalay Bay) so I felt bad that there were so many empty seats when Keith surprised everyone by coming out to introduce Glen Campbell (even though he did so about 20 minutes after the 7:30 starting time printed on our tickets!). Those seats filled, of course, a little later in the evening, but still I was still peeved about it.

Keith’s introduction was so touching, He came out in his black button down shirt and black jeans and seemed quite serious and nearly emotional while praising this man who had been such an important influence and role model in his career (see my clip on youtube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMEtc_uPpSw ) In fact Keith called him “my greatest influence” at one point.

I haven’t kept up with Glen’s music or career in recent years, but I got the feeling that it had been a while since he had been on stage. He seemed a little bit nervous and out of practice (in terms of his unease with the audience) and made a couple different comments about his age like “I’m happy to be here in Las Vegas - of course a guy my age is happy to be anywhere, if you know what I mean.” I believe he was using a teleprompter down low in front of his microphone to help him with some of the lyrics, so maybe he is feeling his age more than he likes.

Since my fond memories are of Glen, the ballad-singer, I have to admit that his first 3 or 4 songs, which I believe were from recent albums, seemed too loud and somewhat too rock or jazzed up for the Glen I was looking forward to seeing. And I couldn’t say much for the band or their arrangements on these fast tempo tunes. But as soon as he got to his classics all that changed and I loved them all and sang along to all those favorites. But that is not to say that I only enjoyed his oldies. A little later in his set he sang several from his newest release - covers of bands like Green Day and Foo-Fighters - which were just great and really appealed to the younger segment of the audience who may not know songs like Wichita Lineman, Galveston, Rhinestone Cowboy, and Gentle on My Mind. He thrilled us with his guitar work on some numbers but sang others with just his band backing him up. It was wonderful to see him perform again after all this time.

During the break between Glen and Keith the arena was just a-buzz with excitement. A couple times it seemed all of a sudden everyone decided something was about to happen and many stood up, with scattered screams. Many looked to the rear, as if they expected Keith might enter that way. All that attention focused on the rear arena spurred some dancers in the audience to REALLY start dancing to the break music - and that progressed to one of the dancers flashing the crowd! Yes, there were some high spirits last night!

Security, in red or gold suit jackets, was very obvious through Glen’s set. I had mentioned to the couples on either side of me that Keith had generally told security to be pretty laid back once he came out on stage, but I didn’t know if that was going to be the case here at the Mandalay. During the break we noticed folks began to line up at the edge of the stage and catwalk so the gal next to me asked one of the ushers whether she could go up there too. That guard said “No - only the seat-holders in the front section can do that.” Nevertheless, once Keith’s set began another security guard, seeing us looking uncertain about whether we could leave our row and move forward, actually waved us up to the front!! We found spots on the edge of the right runway and stayed there the rest of the night! I hope, in turn, maybe somebody from farther back in the arena moved up to our original seats.

When the big curtain dropped Keith had changed out of his black shirt and pants to a gray on black plaid shirt and some soft comfy looking jeans (you just wanted to touch those soft jeans that fit him so well!). It looked like his hair was freshly trimmed up too.Although his hair sometimes looked dark some of the bright lights later on showed that there are still some blond highlights to it. I swear he has a new wallet chain - it was sparkling like a string of diamonds last night (see the Hit the Ground clip), adding to the glitter he gets from his guitar strap.

After a few songs Keith greeted the audience as usual, and asked us to put our hands together again for the amazing, the legendary Glen Campbell (which we did) and then thanked Glen “for letting us close for him.” Tee hee.

What fun when Keith came down the ramp I stood next to for the ending of Where the Blacktop Ends (see clip) and again when he headed out to the small stage. Boy he is a wily one though - even though I knew he was coming I didn’t catch him (on film or with my lovepat) that second time.

Quite a few signs were present tonight but Keith did not read or noticeably acknowledge any. He played the usual three songs on the small stage, but then played a new (to me) melody as he returned to the mainstage, slightly disheveled from all that loving contact with his fans.

Somehow standing stage edge I feel more obligated to pay a bit of concentrated attention to the other band members when they happen by. I love watching all the guys (and it would be rude to only stare at Keith, no?), but felt my attention torn all evening. I did pat Chris R’s knee and Brian’s, when they played on the ramp, and tried to coax picks (without luck) from each of the guys when they were nearby.

When it came time for introductions Brian surprised us with a new solo - a little Mariah Carey I believe - Open Arms (see clip) - although I thought I heard Keith mutter something about Celine Dion? (maybe he was commenting that Brian may do Celine next?) Once again Keith cutely perched up on an amplifier while introducing Chris M (see clip),

It was wonderful to get an up close view of stage antics and of the songs Keith sang from the stage microphone. I’ve got some really good clips of the passion and intensity he shows in his face during those amazing guitar solos (although there was one gal between me a Keith who I ‘hated’ for 2 reasons - her waving arms kept getting in my shots and those waving arms BOTH sported the LPATWCT wristbands Keith and the guys tossed out at show’s end last tour!) I had mostly a rear view when Keith used the catwalk microphone. Generally I don’t mind that at all, but I did regret not having a front view when Keith brought Glen out for a duet towards the end of the show. He said he wanted “to change things up a bit tonight” and that this night was the only opportunity he had in the entire tour to perform with one of his idols (my word, not his). So I filmed a little of their backs(see clips below) but then turned to the big screen to see their faces and their guitar playing.(I put a little longer clip of this on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/user/iowalw#play/all/uploads-all/0/mTJg8FiLuAI ) I’m sure someone else will have captured their performance from a better perspective. Wichita Lineman, as a duet, has never sounded so sweet. It was clear that Keith was giving Glen the lead, keeping his own voice and guitar rather subdued. Very, very nice.

There was no venturing offstage during You Look Good in My Shirt Tonight. I’m guessing that they had to save a little time because of the extra duet (and Keith commented that the show was still running past the Mandalay’s 11:00 deadline). But Keith did kind of pit the different areas of the arena against one another in their singing along during that song. He started with the risers to his right, then recruited the risers to his left, who apparently weren’t singing loud enough because he yelled out a “I can’t hear you!” (a la the Sargeant in Gomer Pyle). I was disappointed when my camera flashed “Memory Card Full” at the end of this number with another four songs yet to go :(. Guess I took too many pictures of sharks and Glen!! I especially regret not being able to capture Keith and C-Rod during Better Life. They were out on the catwalk and Chris was playing with his knees quite flexed, as he often does, so his head was lower rather than higher than Keith’s. Keith put his left arm around Chris’s neck and continued to play and sing while Chris was sort of held (affectionately) captive!

From all appearances Keith had as wonderful a time last night as we all did! He did his usual thank yous and thanked us and Glen for such a special, magical night. After a few bows (including a very deep princely bow by Keith to the left risers), handslaps and pick tosses, they were off! And probably off very quickly to L.A. - the crew began taking apart the ramp I had been leaning on before we even had a chance to leave!!

PS Travel, to me, also means trying new things when possible. My new tries this trip:

Friday - Scallop sushi roll

Saturday: Green corn tamales

These clips I put on You Tube:

Keith Introducing Glen

Keith and Glen - Wichita Lineman

Glen Campbell Sings Green Day

Omaha, Somewhere in Middle America

Okay, the Counting Crows were with Keith a couple concerts ago, but I couldn't use one of their lyrics until now! Since there is not much to be done about the minor disaster in my hometown until the insurance adjustors arrive and the tree removal services make their way through the hundreds and hundreds of downed mature trees, I've tried to turn my attention to the much more pleasant topic of last evening's concert.

>The overcast skies turned to rainy skies shortly after daughter Sara and I left for Omaha and the showers continued for the first two and a half hours of our drive. But by the time we reached the Iowa border we had blue skies, sunshine and humidity. It was too late to bother looking for the buses so we checked into our hotel and went to Old Chicago for dinner, then headed over to the Quest Center.

Our seats were decent – 26^th row of the floor – and we chatted with the fans near us as we waited for it to be showtime. One woman in front of us was a long-time Keith fan (she had a single seat in row 25 while the rest of her family was way back in the rear floor area :) who hadn’t yet been to a show this year. We quickly became buddies as I gave her the inside scoop on this tour (more about her later). The guys next to us looked like Keith-wanna-be’s (with his old hair style and color).

I must say the Quest Center had poorer acoustics or sound control than other recent shows. At first we thought it was just Jason Aldean’s crew having the volume up way too loud. It was literally painful to listen to some of his songs – we had to cover our ears some of the time and it really kind of spoiled much of his act for us. I felt sorry for the cute pink booted little girl, maybe 5 years old, in front of us, who repeatedly covered her ears and tried to hide her head from the sound. But even Keith’s sound occasionally seemed too loud and slightly distorted, so maybe it was something about the venue or where we were positioned relative to the speakers.

But that didn’t spoil our enjoyment of Keith’s energetic performance! When the big curtain dropped, there he was in all his glory, wearing a very bright cherry red on white plaid shirt and very dark blue, almost black jeans on his sleek frame. After a very rockin’ Hit the Ground (gosh I love the way he swings that guitar across his hips and the way he plays the bridge in that song! (first videoclip)) he shouted out “Nebraska!!” He followed his usual “We finally made it back!” with “But it seems like we were just here yesterday!” He paid attention to each segment of the audience, recognizing, in particular, those way up in the nosebleed seats (not completely full tonight). Then he said they were going to do an old song (WTBE). He seemed to be having a great time last night. While over at the microphone by the left risers (maybe during Days Go By?) he spun around in about 5 circles with his guitar, harkening back to the old ending of Somebody Like You. And when over at the mic facing the right risers during WWWBM he did his first of a couple ululating “bird calls” of the night and also his first backbend of the evening. I didn’t catch these on video but did catch his later trilling bird call during I Told You So.

Stupid Boy really wowed the crowd as usual (next couple clips). Then as Keith got into Better Half I alerted, as I had promised, the woman sitting in from of me that it was time for us to move to the small stage. I slipped out of my row and headed back with her and my daughter following behind like ducklings in a row. I wasn’t sure how lucky we would be because Omaha was another venue that sold some last minute standing room only general admission tickets back by the small stage. Early in the evening that area was fenced in and well guarded. But lo and behold sometime before Keith’s journey back they took away the fences!! So I guess the GA folks were free to wander and, happily, we were free to surround the small stage! My daughter, ever worried about her crazy mom, warned me “Don’t get trampled!” (she doesn’t know I am hard core when it comes to getting my Vitamin K!). We all found spots about an arm’s length in front of the small stage while the rest of the arena went crazy as they realized Keith had left the mainstage and was moving down the aisle. So I was lucky again to get some up close view and clips of his small stage songs. The first of them is just a tiny snippet as he finished Better Half but he is so dang cute I included it anyway. During OIAL, through the combined effort of someone lifting and Keith receiving, with open arms, a little girl and her little guitar joined him on stage! I think she just wanted an autograph on her guitar but Keith pulled her into the performance. She didn’t actually “play” her guitar but she rocked with it at the microphone (much like those of us who have ‘made a music video with Keith’ at the Verizon booth (except she had the real Keith!!). It was so cute!! (see videoclip) He gave her a couple big hugs before helping her get back down from the stage.

Security was prominent during Jason’s set but maybe you can tell that they once again almost (not completely, but almost) disappeared when Keith came on. The ‘mainstage crowd’ extended down the 2 center aisles nearly 20 feet!! (maybe because of some of those GA folks??) I approached the front to get a closer view of Til Summer Comes Around (which he ended with an emotional double "When you comin' back around?) but returned to my seat after that song because of the size of that front stage congestion. Once or twice later in the evening isolated security guards would try to clear the aisles but it didn’t seem effective for long. It was a rather sloppy audience tonight – everywhere I went there seemed to be puddles of beer on the floor so we came home with sticky feet! One gal spilled a beer down my back during the very first song of the evening!

I guess because Michael Jackson’s memorial service has now been held the guys did not do MJ tributes tonight. They returned to the songs they previously sang during introductions. One new thing was that Jerry brought out his bass guitar with him and accompanied himself during his “Ain’t No Sunshine” rendition (see clip). Had to rely on the big screen during You'll Think of Me and got a little (ahem) distracted filming that clip!

When it came time for You Look Good in My Shirt the arena darkened and Keith played a few fun riffs on his light-up guitar. I thought I saw a cleared spot up in the rear right risers and guessed that might be his destination during this song. So once again I alerted Sara and my new friend in row 25 that I was heading to that left hand aisle in hopes of seeing Keith as he passed. They followed once again and we were all there to greet him as best we could as he and his crew passed on both the way off the stage and on their way back. I love the brief close up glimpses and ‘lovepats’ but sure wish those contacts were more conducive to actually saying something more meaningful – a Thank you Keith! or “You and your music light up my world.” or any number of other compliments I would like to pay the man!

During Somebody Like You Keith counted down in his “Swedish” voice (even though I am one-fourth Swedish I don’t speak any, so I don’t know if he was really counting or just mimicing the Muppet’s Swedish chef again). He did a few hopping circles at the end, but not as many as he had done earlier in the evening. There were no sound problems during that beautiful guitar work of Tonight I Wanna Cry during the encore – just crystal clear notes sounding through a rather hushed arena. Really wonderful!

Keith gave his usual thank yous including thanking us for one of those magical nights. Lots of handslappingand goodbyes, both in gestures and in American sign. And then we slowly left – smiling, satisfied, worn out, and also thankful that we had been there.

Blown Away

I did start typing an Omaha review in the car on the way home, but this is what we found when we arrived back in Cedar Falls. Huge oak trees had been ripped right out of the ground on either side of our driveway, one crushing my daughter's car and completely blocking the drive. Many many other trees and limbs down throughout our neighborhood - they had to bulldoze through some streets to clear them of branchs. They are not calling the storm a tornado but the winds tore a 30 foot swath through the woods in back of our house so it looks almost like that strip was clear cut. Our grass is all blown flat and shredded leaves are plastered to all the white woodwork and garage doors of our house. So it is quite a mess, but luckily no one was hurt and the house was not damaged. It will be weeks before all the trees will be cut up and removed, I'm sure.

What a Difference a Day Makes

Another uprooted oak on the right of the drive








Pulling into our driveway

Last night I went to a very intimate performance by acoustic folk artist Johnsmith. It was being recorded for broadcast on Iowa Public Radio with just a small studio audience. Johnsmith has a sweet expressive voice and nice style on, not only his acoustic guitar, but also on an unusual 8 string bouzouki shaped like a guitar (something that I have never seen before). And Johnsmith is a very talented songwriter - I was touched by every one of his songs. Sitting in the audience I was reminded of some of the acoustic artists I have seen perform at the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville on songwriter nights. This interesting fellow also takes small tour groups to explore the Irish countryside, then performs in the evenings at the Irish pubs his group visits! Jim said we should sign up!

Johnsmith - Kicking a Stone
Johnsmith - Don't Put Me in a Box
Johnsmith, Lipbone and Elizabeth

Whoa! That's Weird!

Just found out that if I make a typo in my blog's url I might end up at a very strange Christian fundmentalist website.  I made that mistake when I sent the URL to a friend and boy was she surprised! And I am such a lousy typist!