One Killer Keith Urban Concert in Columbus!

I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later - through travel snafus I all but missed the start of the Columbus concert. Only with some speeding on the highways, quick, panicked parking, and hustling the remaining blocks did I make it to the Nationwide Arena just minutes before Jake Owen came on. Much as I love Chicago, my city of birth, I hate flying through Chicago for just this reason (although lately it seems almost every one of my trips had included late flights). I did make it in the nick of time but I missed out on a planned dinner with concert buddies! : (

Tonight I was in row D which, in Columbus and several other arenas, was a super-long row spanning the entire width of the arena without aisles - a row geared to slow down or block those approaching the stage from the rear. I had a very good view much of the time but several very tall males were in front of me once the floor crowd gathered, so my apologies for the occasional heads in my videos. Here is Only You Can Love Me This Way.

Jake makes many fans happy with his constant interaction - grasping hands, waving or pointing and smiling at particular individuals, coming down off the stage a few times each show. He really made one gal’s night by leading her up onto the stage and then holding her hand and singing a verse of Don’t Think I Can’t Love You, complete with going down on his knees while he sang the last couple lines. He borrowed a sip of beer

from another happy fan. He also told the Columbus audience that, although up to now the Boston crowd had been the very best, now Columbus had taken their place as his favorite.

I guess tonight was just my night for “missing things”. Jake threw a pick right at me - it hit my palm but bounced away before I could grab it. Then Jerry threw me his wristband at show’s end and once again it hit my palm but got away before I could grab it. I must have slow reflexes!! Good thing I don’t have to rely on my reflexes most of the time to catch all the musical memories they throw my way each show!

I Told You So was deleted from the setlist! I was very hopeful that that meant we might get Raining on Sunday or some other special addition, but no - that was not the case. Maybe they have just been running a bit long with the extended Kiss a Girl antics.... Here is sweet Without You.

Keith was wearing different jeans tonight - ones with a weathered look - a few ‘paint splotches’ or white spots, a few tears. Of course it doesn’t matter what kind of jeans he wears - they always look mmm-mmm good : )

I didn't have a good view of the right platform during You're Gonna Fly, but I was close to Brian Nutter on the left platform.

I was sitting just in front of the person responsible, this show, for the traveling Monkeyville sign that is making its way to every US venue (not sure if they’ve found a way to get it to the Canadian shows). I will be taking on that task in Cincinnati, but I had my photo taken with the sign in Columbus since it was convenient.

I do enjoy seeing others’ positive reactions during the show - especially the KU newbies - but I have to admit that sometimes the drunken ones get a little wearing. One very happy (because of Keith but also because of booze) gal in front of me repeatedly, throughout the night, would turn to me and in a loud voice (while Keith was singing) would say “Oh he’s so pretty!!” I concurred : ) but didn’t always appreciate the distraction! I also feel a little guilty that I am almost happy when they fall off the chairs they have been standing on. Shame on me!

For the Kiss a Girl sing-off, as usual, the first contestant was not local, but rather from West Virginia. The next - a male was - quite proudly - from Columbus. but unfortunately only knew the first and last lines of the chorus (I wanna kiss a girl) and just held out the microphone to the singing audience the rest of the time. When he returned the mike to Keith, Keith had to say “ What the hell was that??” before he went on to #3, a Ohio girl wearing a huge pink hat edged with pink feathers. (Sorry I had such a hard time catching a shot around Keith's cameraman!)

Tonight Keith went way back to the rear curve of the risers and way up in the stands for You Look Good in My Shirt. He is brave to “go the distance” near the end of the show when the audience has been thoroughly whipped into a frenzy and is totally loving him (and wanting a piece of him!). His early trip on the floor, back to the small stage, is such a surprise and shock to most that Keith doesn’t seem to get quite as man-handled. But by the time of YLGIMS it sometimes seems that it is “No holds barred!” (literally!)

I love how, even at the end of a very strenuous, hot show, Keith is still showing his joy at performing - laying on his back on the stage with the biggest grin imaginable, alternately kicking his legs up in the air or using them to spin his body in a circle, while continuing to rip away at his guitar! The joy in that man and in his music is oh so infectious and lifts the hearts of every person in his audience.

Urban in Columbus Gives a Stellar Performance!

I did the drive between Pittsburgh and Columbus at a leisurely pace, arriving in late 

afternoon. 

I had learned from Monkeyville that a radio station would be holding a pre-concert party at the Frog, Bear and Boar right next to Nationwide Arena so I headed there about 5:00. The station had front row seats and backstage passes to give away so I got my little raffle tickets and hung around until the best of the prizes had been awarded.

My seat at Nationwide was at the far right of Row V of the floor. Sounded good when I bought it in the pre-sale but I could tell during Jason’s set that it was going to be hard to see through the sea of heads in front of me. Once again I really loved Jason’s rendition of Bryan Adams’ Heaven. Has that Crossroads episode aired yet? Here, as in Pittsburgh, the fragrance of patchouli was wafting from stage, contributing to the ambience. During the break, after they had drawn closed the huge black curtain, they briefly mistakenly turned on bright lights within the stage area. With those on you could see clearly through the curtain - kind of an eerie view, like looking into an illuminated screen porch on a summer night, of all the crew hustling around readying things.

At most of the shows I have been to this tour security has been visible through the break between opening act and Keith, and it has varied with the venue who they later allowed to approach the stage (sometimes just the first dozen rows or so, sometimes just the front floor sections). Well in Columbus it suddenly became clear DURING the break that security had essentially vanished on the floor (except for the runway guards). People from all over the floor started to move towards the front stage, So I did too, as well as a couple from Michigan I had met way back at Keith’s special charity concert at the Chicago Theatre. We scored some prime spots near the right hand runway! We loved our great view of Keith and the guys (except for when he went back to the small stage, and even then he went right down our runway). 

Keith wore gray plaid in Columbus (he always looks good but I preferred the sunny yellow plaid in Pittsburgh). The gray shirt did, however, seem to be a tad shorter so we were treated to flashes of skin all evening as he held out his guitar. Keith’s hair is getting a little longer in back! And look at that grin in Days Go By! 

We were standing right beneath Brian as he strummed the opening strains of Stupid Boy (see clip). I’ll include the SB guitar solo because the sound is okay but my automatic focus went a bit crazy trying to decide what was figure and what was background each time someone’s head snuck into my frame). I captured his teasing of the VIPs again - this time he actually went down on one knee! LOL I also some shots of the big green guitar he played in Pittsburgh. If you watch the first Blacktop clip listen carefully - does Keith get his "Colo--'s) mixed up? I swear he sings that he is visiting " all my Colorado friends instead of Colombus fans!The ending of Blacktop, played on the runway right in front of us, was fantastic! (see clip). Then Better Half and the sexy look on his face as he began his stroll into the audience (what do you think was going through his mind then?) to the back stage.

After Once in A Lifetime and Making Memories Keith caught sight of a little boy holding a little guitar and invited him up on the small stage. His name was Owen and Keith said something about the fashion statement Owen was making with his great big protective headphones. Once on stage Owen, with the honesty of a child, ‘fessed up that he didn’t play the guitar! : ) So Keith says “So its just a prop?” He asks Owen if he would like him to sign his guitar and Owen said yes (see clip of this exchange). They then high-fived each other before Owen left the stage. Too cute! Funny thing was that moments later Owen and his mom were standing right next to us by the runway so I got to see his signed guitar up close.

In Who Wouldn’t Wanna Be Me Keith did a “silly walk” (silly hop?) across the stage and I got to see his backbend from a new, sort of underneath perspective! Whew! Throughout the show we got the best smiles from this obviously happy man. In Sweet Thing he did a little scatting at the end (see clip). 

The video walls were once again lowered to a horizontal position during Til Summer Comes Around so I’m not sure if the change we saw in Pittsburgh was a fluke or not. Keith turned out an absolutely searing guitar solo. As you listen to his amazing playing watch Keith’s expressive face.

No impromptu song before Raining on Sunday tonight but Keith did do some dramatic strumming and drumming on his guitar and then held that final note before the first ROS chorus for the longest time I’ve ever seen (see clip). He just loves to play to and play with the crowd. Sadly my bad knee began to tell me I had stood for too long, so when Kiss a Girl began I had to give up my spot by the runway and sit for a bit. Just a bit! But, because of all those standing up front there were plenty of empty seats in the rows just beyond the catwalk so at least I didn’t have to go far.

I was up again and right beneath Keith for I Told You So, so I really felt like we were singing together. There was a bit of technical difficulty during the filmed intro to You’ll Think of Me. At first we had some clips of fans singing with no sound, then they got the sound to come on but there was no video. But Keith more than made up for the shaky intro with his passionate singing with the addition of “Take your space and all your messed up reasons” and the “I hope when you see my face it gives you hell, it gives you hell” ending (see clip). A goosebump song for sure!

I was on the aisle to encounter Keith both on his way to the risers on his left and upon his return during You Look Good in My Shirt - got me my “Vitamin K” but gosh he moves too quick there to catch a photo!

In the third of the Somebody like You clips is Keith’s favorite singing along with Day-o, Day- ay-ay-o joke. He is just like a little kid sometimes!

Well I did get as far as Tonight I Wanna Cry before I ran out of camera memory tonight, but still missed the grand closing Better Life. Tonight there seemed to be a veritable blizzard of confetti. I even found some in my bra when I showered back at the hotel! Keith thanked us for “a stellar, stellar night!” and said that "all of the stars must have been lined up just right tonight," That includes our favorite star Mr. Urban! He was definitely just right!

Videos to come.....

_________________

A few longer clips that I put on YouTube:

Somebody Like You

Keith Teasing Audience

Tonight I Wanna Cry