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The white drape sways on stage, the lighting focuses on the guitarist, the drummer, and then the very famous shadow of Keith Urban. The fans recognize it immediately, and the screams are through the roof. Slowly, the drape starts coming down, and there he is: the man we have all come to see. He strums, plays chords, and entire songs by plucking and strumming the strings. The music soars, and so do the ladies’ screams. He’s had that rocker boy haircut since forever, and he makes that hair work for himself. He rocks to the music, plays the guitar behind his head, and shakes his head after making a joke. He knows he still has the same impact on the ladies he always had, throwing a grin to the audience every time he wanted to be cheeky. Nicole, we get it now…
He always over-delivers. Last night at Rogers Arena, he left no doubt as to why so many fans have been coming back year after year, following him from city to city. He is one of the genre’s most electrifying talents, and nobody can truly do what he does.
(Debby Wong/Shutterstock)
His voice, a blend of gritty twang and soulful smoothness as the song calls for, cuts through the arena, crisp and clear. The moment fans try to sit down, take a little break for their feet, his energy pulls fans to stand up. It’s one banger after another banger. Some artists want your appreciation; they want your respect for their performance. Others like Urban are so well seasoned that they are able to do a slow song, where the energy is peaceful, some of the audience is sitting down, and they are okay with that. There is no hurry for him to have people constantly yelling; he likes it just as much when they sit back and enjoy him. He leads the audience through notes, he jokes about ‘only people named Dave make some noise and now Karen, oh just one Karen in the crowd’. He is a seasoned artist, and that puts the audience at ease. They know they are going to get a good show. The show was a whirlwind of sound and motion.
The stage itself was a spectacle, a very intentional stage design. The way the musicians on the stage were placed gave a very casual band vibe. Colorful screens would sometimes drop down, and for one song, Pink was on them, singing the song, clapping, as if she were live on the stage with us. He performed a duet, shouted out the artist’s name numerous times, and finally jumped off the stage to go through the crowd towards the back. He weaved through the mass of people, fans reaching out, their hands just wanting to high-five their favorite artist.
During “Somebody Like You,” he lets the crowd be his choir, the music dims down, just his guitar, the audience, and he belting out with all the passion. His silhouette framed against a backdrop of swirling lights, his guitar commanding the attention of the crowd oh so easily.
Outside the arena, a little girl, along with her grandmother and mother, had been holding up a neon green sign that read, “3 generations of Keith Urban fans.” After the show, I finally understood why people repeatedly go watch him play. It’s the dedication that you can see in him as an artist, to always make each show better, to do something different, to make the fans feel special in each city. The man is a rockstar, his guitar is almost an extension of his soul. When he finally took his bow, the crowd’s cheers echoed, a testament that we all felt that energy shift in the arena.
