I had not been in Maryland since visiting there briefly in 1975 (Yee gads!!) for a job interview at an Eastern Shore college, so I decided to arrive the night before the Columbia, MD concert so I would have a little time to explore. I stayed the first night at a hotel with a free airport shuttle to avoid an extra day of car rental charges. The hotel also shuttled me to a restaurant for dinner and to the car rental place in the morning, so I was thankful for that. My dinner included an excellent softball sized Maryland crabcake - yum!! I think Keith was right, the next night, when he announced that Maryland had the best crabcakes in the world. Nothing like the many crabcakes I have had in many other places.
The next morning was gorgeous so I decided to drive to Annapolis - a lovely historic town. I took a nice boat ride around the Annapolis harbor and a bit of the Chesapeake Bay while the sights were being described - very relaxing. Then Yelp guided me to a nice restaurant right on the private boat docks where I again concentrated on getting some of that fresh East Coast seafood that I so love. I had to take a picture of my giant scallops covered in fine phyllo on a bed of crab, spinach and prosciutto for my chef niece.
Then on to Columbia where my hotel was not too far from the concert venue. Surprisingly, the Merriweather Post Pavilion is not out in the country like many of the summer venues, but is instead in a park across from a great big shopping mall where I was able to park for free. The venue looked different too - much more rustic than the big Verizon Wireless amphitheatres. The Merriweather was covered in worn wooden planks and the side sections of the reserved seats were covered by tent-like extensions from the main plank roof. I could see the buses just outside the side entrance of the venue. It is the first concert venue that I have been to that had crabcake stands as well as crisp and gooey grilled cheese! I figured I would have a better seat than I had had at previous concerts because I was located in Row G of the Center section. But I was even more pleasantly surprised when G turned out to be the first row of reserved seats since A-F had been removed to make the pit!! Alright!! And I was sitting above the pit, at the level of the stage, so no one would block my view unless they held up a huge sign. YAY!!!
So it was an extra good night for me. So nice to see Dustin and Little Big Town up close as well. Here is Dustin's Cowboys and Angels https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XFuICmpvcQ and LBT's Bring It On Home https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPMH5Xlekrg and Tornado https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfhCs9kPim4 and their later collaboration with Keith.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGOoXf7U5lE I could see Danny and Jerry watching LBT from the sideline, occasionally joined by a gal with dark hair. And some lucky young girls were watching from an upper level of the side stage - wonder how they lucked out!
Sweet Thing extended guitar play https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIQWUZ_Xwg4
Have you noticed that the stagecrew is getting a little overgenerous with their fog machines during Stupid Boy. Tonight and a few other venues there were times during his guitar solo where you could not hardly see Keith because of the billowing fog. Let's not provide TOO MUCH atmosphere guys!! We want to see him!
Keith added a little extra guitar run at the end of his SB solo.
Keith greeted the audience and said "Sorry it is a little chilly" (ha ha - it was pretty steamy). As he greeted the lawn people he got out his giant spotlight to highlight them, saying "it is like the search party" and also put the spot on Jerry before he was finished playing with his toy : ). Keith read several signs, including one that said "We've got a thing called Rader Love", some birthday signs, a "cool chick sign", a "Nicole said it is okay for you to kiss me" (but then joked "and its a dude, so that's weird". He read another saying "Please sing I'm Standing Right In Front of You" but then changed the emphasis to "Please sing! I am standing right in front of you". He finally focused on one pretty far back held by a little girl and saying "My daddy said you can give me a hug" So Keith brought her up to chat.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FY3RUVB3tzs Since she was far back he had to fill time so he told us to "talk among yourselves and I'l give you a topic(which I could quite catch- sounded like "do pingwars have bees????" and then proceed to adlib a little song "I'm taking my time just coming down the stairs now. Whoo. Gonna go down and get mself a hug. Feeling good now. Gonna go down and get myself a hug now. And the girls round here like ice cold beer." She finally made it and then her mom as well. Keith asked Kayla some questions and then took picture with them. The little girl was a stunned but it was a cute interaction. Her Mom said that Kayla had loved Keith since she was three years old.
A stunning Without You with some extra "foreplay" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb8X6BcYFw8
When I first arrived at the Merriweather Post Pavilion I had looked for the second stage but could not find a sign of it. That's because there was no real second stage this night. Keith did go out but without Jerry and Chris, and he sang a couple songs alone within the audience, much like he does for You Look Good in My Shirt. He cut this out-in-the audience shorter than usual, returning to the main stage after Once in a Lifetime before starting Better Life. Oddly, he did "introduce" Jerry while out in the audience (even though Jerry wasn't with him) and then Jerry sang his solo from up on the main stage.
Better Life https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bk21l3_0-z8
You'll Think of Me with its new "On With My Life" emphasis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kUKUFhv4dA
Bit of But For the Grace of God https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iscNyTNhh8Q
After You Look Good in My Shirt Keith ended the show (for the first time I've seen on this tour) lying flat on his back on stage strumming away on his guitar - a sign of an exceptional show. He thanked us for being "totally insane" and for those who traveled a long distance. As he was moving along the stage edge slapping hands and signing autographs, I saw Keith pause by a young guy near the pointed "catwalk" and give that guy the "Wait just a moment" gesture. Keith grabbed his guitar tech and sent him back stage. He arrived back with a guitar which Keith proceeded to give to the young guy, who had a sign something like "My dream is to play the guitar like Keith Urban" and so Keith was going to help hime pursue that dream! How great! And then our steamy Keith-hot night was over.
Postscript:When I got back to the Sheraton I noticed that the lot near my room had half of it blocked by yellow tape and I wondered whether the buses might be coming there. I was too tuckered to wait. But the next morning, sure enough, there was one of the buses with the motorcycle. Wonder if I had "slept with Keith" without even knowing it ; 0
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