It was a bittersweet night for a large group of Keith Urban Fans, more affectionately known as Monkeys (Keith's fan club is called Monkeyville). About 50 of us planned to meet for dinner before the Keith concert in Uncasville, CT at the Mohegan Sun Casino. This is a regular occurrence for Monkeyville members who plan a "pre-party" before almost every one of his shows. I have attended several of these parties in the past but nothing could prepare me for the emotional rollercoaster that this one took me on.
I personally found out that the concert was cancelled Friday morning. Of course I was disappointed, but I was concerned for Keith's health and immediately assumed the cancellation could be due to the vocal chord issues he had about this time last year.
I went on his official message board and noticed that many of the group that had planned to meet still wanted to have the pre-party, even though the concert wasn't going to happen. I was excited about that, pre-parties are always a great time, meeting up with the people you "know" from the message boards but have never met, and reuniting with others you have met in the past.
The party was set for 5pm at the Uncas American/Indian Grill right in the Casino. I was there a bit early and finally found some familiar faces. The organizer of the event was already there and when she noticed a group of Monkeys had arrived she came over to talk to us. None of us had heard the news yet, that Keith had checked into a rehab center, so Maria filled us in. It's hard to explain to someone just how I felt at that moment. Keith has become a part of my life and it's almost as if he is family to me. As Maria told us the news I felt this knot tighten in my stomach, the hairs raise up on my arms, and tears come to my eyes. It might sound a little dramatic to some, but every other person at that pre-party knew exactly what I was going through.
Every time someone new would arrive and I had to listen to someone hear the news for the first time it was like I was hearing it all over again. But to see their reaction, almost identical to my own, was extremely comforting.
This night was about a lot more than any pre-party has been before. We were there for comfort and support, for each other, and for the man who has brought so much to our lives. I cannot tell you the number of people who have shared stories about how Keith and his music have helped them through some rough times and I know myself that his music can always pick me up when I'm down. But right now he is down and so many of us feel helpless. He has helped us, but how can we do the same for him?
We did all we could last night. We celebrated the joy he has brought to us, shared stories, talked and laughed, reminisced, and yes, we cried. We cried for Keith, we cried for each other, and we cried for ourselves. Tears aren't going to change anything, but if Keith has taught us anything through his music and his outlook on life, it's that emotions of any sort are a part of life and they are always welcome and important.
One very memorable and special moment came near the end of the dinner. About 25 of us gathered around one table and Kendra Saunders, a delightful young woman and soon to be very famous author, led us in a prayer. She spoke straight from the heart and delivered a prayer to give thanks for many things, from all of us arriving safely to Keith himself. Most importantly we prayed for God to help him through this rough time, and that Keith could feel the power of our prayer and be comforted by it.
