When my very good friend Kim from Port Hope, Ontario, Canada told me she was going on a three night K.U.R.T. (Keith Urban Road Trip) I couldn't help but to be a little envious. Seeing Keith in concert is a treat to begin with but if your also a fanclub member, more often than not, you arrange to meet up with other members and turn a two hour concert into a day long excursion of comradery. A lot of us Monkeys (the fan club is called Monkeyville) have formed life-long friendships and chit chat often through Keith's message boards. I hadn't seen Kim since last fall when we went on our first official KURT and after she spent about two seconds trying to convince me to go, I agreed to meet her in Meadville, PA, at the Crawford County Fair for the first night of her trip.
Little Big Town was set to be the opening act and I was really excited about seeing this show again. They took the stage sharply at 7:30 and began their set with "Good As Gone," and then, "Bones," cuts off their The Road To Here CD. Now ordinarily the area right in front of the stage would have been full of fans but for some reason security was making everyone remain seated. There's nothing worse than having to sit still at a show when you really wanna be up dancing and singing along with the act. Kimberly and Karen still made sure the fans were made to feel special. Without missing a note the two wave and smile at anyone who happens to make direct eye contact. Jimi and Phillip are also very good at working the crowd and like the gals, they love to include the fans.
Announcing this next song had just made it to the Top 5, the first few notes of "Bring It On Home" began and the crowd burst into applause. Beautifully written lyrics and the arrangement of harmonies makes it one of the best love songs I've ever heard. Phillip sings lead on this and makes ya feel like he's singing it just for you.
Continuing on, LBT gives us a little rock with the Tom Petty/Stevie Nicks duet, "Stop Dragging My Heart Around." Honestly, I couldn't tell you which version I like better. LBT's harmonies are so perfect you just sit there in awe of all four. Slowing it down one more time we hear "Stay."
After an introduction to the incredible musicians backing them up they moved on with "Lookin' For A Reason." Jimi Westbrook then asked the crowd if anybody was proud of where they came from. This was the song everyone wanted to hear and the crowd rewarded the band with an eruption of applause and finally paid no attention to security as they lunged to their feet. "Boondocks" began and the crowd loved it! I don't think it's gonna be very long until this band is headlining and they'll get that reaction to all their songs. They finished their set with the Eagles classic, "Heartache Tonight."
Set List:
- Good as Gone
- Bones
- A Little More You
- Bring It On Home
- Welcome To The Family
- Stop Dragging My Heart Around
- Stay
- Looking For A Reason
- Boondocks
- Heartache Tonight
