I made a leisurely drive from Jacksonville down to Tampa for the last show of the first weekend of the Get Closer Tour, encountering a few more of those sudden cloudbursts with torrential rain so heavy that some drivers pulled off the highway because visibility was so bad. I was sorry that I just couldn’t carry any more home with me the next day, because I passed all sorts of interesting farm stands advertising tree-fresh ripe peaches, boiled peanuts, freshly shelled peas, and other home grown goodies.
I had another moment of panic when I checked into my Tampa hotel. They could not find my name in their computer. I pulled out my prepaid hotel confirmation of the reservation made months ago and they could not find the confirmation number in their system. I was so worried that between the convention that was in town and the concert, I would end up roomless, at least in downtown Tampa. Somehow the online hotel reservation service I have used dozen of times before had somehow screwed up the reservation despite my full payment (I’ll never be completely confident I have a reservation again!).
Happily the hotel worked it out with the online service over the phone and they did have a room to give me, but I have to watch my credit card bills to make sure they don’t bill me a second time.
For the Tampa show I had purchased a Christmas presale “Premium Lowers” ticket. My seat was in the 4th row of the risers closest to the stage, maybe 6-10 feet from Keith’s right side platform. I had a great view and my old achey knee was happy to be able to sit a bit more during the night than a floor seat allows you to do.
I noticed that Jerry Flowers and a couple ladies came out just on the other of the right platform to watch Jake Owen’s set. I’ve been keeping an eye out for Nicole, but if she has been around, I haven’t seen her.
Jake Owen reported that his family was in the audience as well as the buddies he had grown up with. He went down to and directed much attention to the left-hand (as you face the stage) front floor seats, so maybe that’s where they were all sitting. I admire his agility as he runs down the ramped stage or leaps effortlessly up onto the elevated drums platform. He even made kind of a running leap and slide down the ramp on his butt one time
Tonight Keith and the guys handled their opening song a bit differently. Keith sang his a cappella line from the Put You in a Song chorus, but then before they broke into the full song he and Brian come out on the catwalk and did a little special guitar lead-in. It seemed that they also added some extra guitar embellishment mid-song as well.
Keith dedicated Long HOT Summer to the state of Florida (appropriately!). Later in the evening, at the close of Til Summer Comes Around, Keith gave THREE particularly plaintive “When are you coming back Baby?”’s in a row before the big guitar solo that had the crowd gasping and screaming. All his guitar solos seemed particularly searing in Tampa.
I am very blessed to be able to make these road trips and each night realize little details that I had completely missed before. I’m sure that many, like me, get so caught up in watching Keith that we may sometimes be oblivious to the staging details that they, no doubt, worked hard on. For example, during Stupid Boy the video screen sometimes shows Keith and the guys playing, but inserted among those live images are little video segments depicting the Stupid Boy story. So we see a young woman’s arms, with one wrist sporting a lovely hummingbird tattoo, twisting her wedding ring in anguish and uncertainty - looking like she is thinking “can I stay in this relationship? can I leave?”.
One of the biggest surprises of the evening: the setlist has already changed. Once in a Lifetime Love was dropped, and I’m In was added and performed on the small stage. Days Go By has moved from the small stage back to being a mainstage song. I wonder if they will continue to switch things up? I would absolutely love it if they did! Wouldn’t it be fun if every couple shows the switched in an old favorite: But For the Grace of God, Raining on Sunday, Homespun Love, My Everything.... I’m sure we could come up with a long list of possibilities!!
I was pleased that I finally had a good view of the small stage from the risers. Since, even when the small stage is not rotating, Keith makes sure to turn to different parts of the audience during his songs, we all get the full 360 view - not a bad thing! : ) When he wasn’t playing his guitar Keith sometime rested his hand behind back, below his belt - an action I don’t remember seeing before. Could that be his “I know where you are staring” move?? Blue Jeans is a major flippage song!! Keith got one of his shorter-in-back, boyish haircuts for the tour but it is still long enough in the front to have some good swing to it. I’m not sure whether there was a cause-effect relationship or not, but some fans around the small stage in Tampa were kind of ‘reachy’ or waving their hands up so high that they were distractions in the video shots of Keith - then suddenly I saw the small stage ‘elevator’ work for the first time, lifting that small stage a couple feet above the crowd. It gives better visibility to all and no more “reachies”. If this was used at earlier shows, I couldn’t see it from the front arena because audience members end up standing on their seats, trying to see what’s happening when Keith leaves the mainstage.
I also noticed for the first time some beautiful lighting effects throughout the night on the ‘roller coaster tracks’. And that disco ball suspended from the ceiling, when they focus golden light beams on it during Long Hot Summer, the thousands of little mirror tiles reflect back that light and dapple the entire arena ceiling and audience with golden star-like spots - perfect for that song! Waiting for the stars to come out - whoa ho....
Tonight Keith was in a dancing mood and danced on stage to the extended drum beats that Chris M. does following his introduction. I was sorry that I didn’t have my camera ready for action!
When it was time for the Kiss a Girl Sing-Off Keith, without intending to, ended up with FIVE people on stage. There was one gal that kind of tagged along and came up on stage without being invited (and didn’t sing) but Keith was nice enough not to make a scene. The real ‘contestants’ were a little red-headed boy, 2 women, brunnette and blond, and a tall male who Keith sought out at the last minute. Keith noted that he had noticed this guy singing every song and he needed to balance out the genders on stage. Keith asked everyone for their names and where they live. The little red-head reported that he lived in Florida (no hometown) which cracked up Keith so he said “Florida - what are the chances!?” The blond and the tall male were hams and sang as a duet - the blond was so loud and off key that Keith reflexively made a move to cover his ears but caught himself at the last moment. He then referred to the duet as Olivia Newton and John Travolta. hee hee When they got little audience applause Keith said that “Six people like these guys.” The little boy sang perfectly and of course won the heart of the audience and was the winner for the night. (video coming)
At the end of another wonderful concert we had another uninvited guest on stage - some gal up front walked up the ramped stage and gave Keith a hug before security could escort her offstage.
Funny - even though most would say my premium riser seat was not nearly as good as being up front on the floor in Biloxi and Jacksonville, I left the Tampa show and walked back to my hotel with the strongest glow of Urban euphoria! Maybe it was a cumulative effect of 3 great nights, maybe it was noticing more details, maybe it was not being quite as exhausted - but I am definitely ‘in the zone’ - the Urban zone.
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