Perhaps one of the most beautiful songs of the night is Keith's acoustic version of "Raining on Sunday." If you have seen Keith live in the past you may remember this song was a very electrifying experience with a long guitar solo and crazy lighting at the end. Now it is completely toned down to a simple acoustic version. Keith walks very slowly towards a mic stand about half way down the catwalk, just him and an acoustic guitar. There is a spotlight on him and everything else is dark. The song is absolutely gorgeous and really shows off Keith's voice, allowing him to put a great deal of passion and emotion into it. He lets the crowd sing the chorus while he accompanied on guitar, and it just brings goosebumps to your arms hearing the crowd singing along. But the very last chorus of the song is even better as Keith quits playing the guitar and simply keeps the beat of the song by banging on it and he gets the crowd to sing once again. It's amazing and very beautiful.
Pretty close to half way through the show Keith gives the back of the venue a thrill by coming to the small stage at the end of the catwalk for a three song set. He sings "Better Half," "Making Memories Of Us," and my personal favorite live song "You'll Think Of Me." You just cannot tear your eyes off Keith when he sings this song. The raw emotion is incredible! He displays all the anger and bitterness of the lyrics and you can just feel the song as he sings it. It truly is one of the most outstanding moments of the night, and possibly one of the most memorable live songs of any concert I have ever been to.
The catwalk and the small stage are incredible. They allow Keith to get closer to so many more people in the audience, instead of just the first few rows at the front. I was near the small stage for this show and I know the people around me who had no idea Keith was doing a set at the back were absolutely thrilled. I have actually seen fans moved to tears when they realize their crappy seats at the back just became front row seats, if only for a few songs!
When Keith returned to the main stage "I Told You So" was the next song he did. At the end of this song they bring out a drum line. I forgot to write down the name of this particular corps, but they did a fantastic little piece and showed off their talent. I believe this was a high school group. I thought it was very cool of Keith to add something like that to the show. It must be so special for those kids and their families watching to get to be a part of a huge production like a Keith Urban concert.
Another really amazing thing Keith has added to the show is a fan video during "Days Go By." The fan club had members send in tapes and the tapes were all edited together to make a video which plays on the big screen while Keith is performing "Days Go By." I was fortunate enough to be a part of a group who made one of these videos and our video clip is actually shown twice during the song. Cindy, Jenn, Kim, Corry, Kimmy, and myself got together near Barrie Ontario at Cindy's house to shoot the video. We ended up sitting on the front of the local fire truck to shoot the video thanks to Cindy's husband. I am sure all the other fans in that video have similar stories of what a great experience it was and well worth the effort after seeing themselves on the big screen.
Keith gave a thrill to the fans in the risers to the left of the stage during "You Look Good in My Shirt" when he came off the stage and down into the crowd. He climbed up the stairs with his mic stand and sang about half the song with women climbing all over him! Compared to other times I've seen him make his way into the crowd, these fans were a lot tamer. He was able to play and sing and even had some girls help him out by singing along. There was a really funny moment when Keith looked up and says "hey, I'm on TV," pointing at the big screen!
Slowing things down Keith sat at the piano for a heartfelt rendition of "Tonight I Wanna Cry" which was followed by the rambunctious "Who Wouldn't Want To Be Me" and a crowd favorite "Somebody Like You." He exited the stage after these songs, but was back shortly for a three song encore.
The encore started with Keith sitting at the piano once again. He had a little fun at first doing a bit of The Violent Femmes song "Blister in the Sun," laughing when the crowd clapped right on cue! He paused for a moment to say a few words at this point. Keith talked about how it had been a crazy 10 months (he entered rehab 10 months ago) and he thanked everyone for their love and support this past year. He went on to dedicate the next song "Got it Right This Time" to his wife, and said he wouldn't be here without her. It was a very eloquent moment and you could really tell just how touched Keith was by the unwavering support he received from his true fans.
Keith finished the night by singing a ballad from the new album called "Everybody," and he dedicated it to everyone who had stuck around until the very end of the night. I think he chose just the right song to end the show as it leaves us with an inspirational message and something to think about. It's simple but true, "everybody needs somebody sometimes."
I have done several concert reviews for this site in the past, but this one was special as Keith is my favorite artist and I have a great deal of respect for him. I truly hope I was able to capture the spirit of the concert for you. Perhaps I am biased, but I do truly believe Keith puts on an incredible show which will earn him a nomination, and maybe even a win for Entertainer of the Year at the CMAs and ACMs.
There are only a handful of shows left on the first leg of the tour, so if Keith's coming anywhere near you my advice is... GO GET A TICKET!
Set List:
- Once in a Lifetime
- Where the Blacktop Ends
- Faster Car
- Shine
- Raining on Sunday
- Stupid Boy
- Used To the Pain
- Better Half
- Making Memories Of Us
- You'll Think Of Me
- I Told You So
- Days Go By
- You Look Good In My Shirt
- Tonight I Wanna Cry
- Who Wouldn't Want To Be Me
- Somebody Like You
Encore:- Got It Right This Time
- Better Life
- Everybody
