Impressions from My Very First Keith Urban Show

10 years ago Brittany Fisher Comments Off on Impressions from My Very First Keith Urban Show
Keith Urban live at Delta Country Jam in Southaven, MS
Keith Urban live at Delta Country Jam in Southaven, MS (Liv Carter/LRM)

Let me preface this short-but-sweet review by saying that only celebrities or artists of a certain stature earn the honor of inserting the word “freaking” between their first and last name. You know, Michael-freaking-Jackson, Tom-freaking-Hanks or Britney-freaking-Spears. You get the idea. Well, this guy has definitely earned that name addition.

When Keith Urban stepped out onto the stage, it wasn’t as dramatic as I expected it to be. I guess I’ve lifted him up in my head so high over the years that I half expected him to float out. The crowd cheering, the stage lights flashing and his voice echoing off of the amphitheater barriers, it was really him. It was Keith-freaking-Urban.

Next to Garth Brooks and Eric Church, Keith Urban is unequivocally my favorite country artist. It surprises me that, considering all of the country concerts I’ve been to, I had yet to see him perform live. I suppose he seemed a little bit out of my reach. Although I am happy for their successes, once an artist reaches a certain level of fame I tend to no longer enjoy their concerts.

For example, I saw Luke Bryan perform at an outdoor venue a few years ago. The crowd was big, but you were free to move about and the situation felt somewhat personal. Fast forward to earlier this year when I attended a Luke Bryan concert at a local arena. I detested it. I was squinting down at an ant of a man who claimed to be Luke Bryan. Hell, it could have been anyone. I wouldn’t have known the difference.

I guess that’s why I have never made much of an effort to see Keith play. I assumed such an event would take place in an arena setting and that I would feel, just as I felt at the aforementioned Luke Bryan concert, disengaged and detached.

When Keith stepped out onto that stage his presence was ethereal and, yet, down to earth. It was an intimate moment. I obviously don’t mean intimate as in between me and Keith – but as in between Keith and his audience, his fans. It had nothing to do with the size of the venue, as it was filled with thousands of screaming fans. The intimacy was solely projected by Keith’s performance.

When he smiled, he was smiling at you. When he played his guitar, he was playing each chord specifically for you. When he sang, he was singing every word directly to you. At least, that’s how I felt.

His charisma is stupendous and he possesses the ability to pull you into his performance. Not every artist can do that. My favorite moment of the show was watching Keith perform ‘Without You.’ I got an overwhelming sense that he was singing that song for his family – his wife and his two little girls. It humanized him and it was a beautiful thing.

I look forward to seeing another performance of his in the future. You never know, I might even visit an arena for him – because, after all, he’s Keith-freaking-Urban!

If you have yet to experience a Keith Urban show, check out the tour dates on keithurban.net and prepare to be as taken in as I was.

 

Brittany Fisher

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