Keith Urban Takes Fans Behind-The-Scenes of Graffiti U Tour Rehearsals

Keith Urban is gearing up for his massive Graffiti U World Tour, but not before giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at rehearsals.

Written by Lauren Laffer
Keith Urban Takes Fans Behind-The-Scenes of Graffiti U Tour Rehearsals
Keith Urban; Photo by Andrew Wendowski

In just a few days time, Keith Urban will begin a massive world tour in support of his latest release, Graffiti U. Teaming up with Kelsea Ballerini for the ride, Urban will take his hits to fans nationwide and around the world for an impressive production unlike any other.

As he gears up to hit the road, the “Coming Home” singer is giving fans an inside look at what goes into making such a large tour a success with a BTS clip. On day three of rehearsals, Urban sat down with his crew to talk about what he and his crew were working on. Despite facing 90 degree temps within the gym at Vanderbilt University, Urban shared brightly that the heat was just preparing them for playing outside during the summer months.

While playing through extreme temperatures was part of the battle, the other side was choosing the setlist with which he’d entertain countless numbers of excited fans.

Keith Urban

Keith Urban; Photo by Andrew Wendowski

“Started working on the setlist, which is really, that’s the center of the whole thing,” he said with a chuckle. “Figuring out the songs, the order of songs…. so I started working on that with the band.”

While musically, Urban has a sense of what he wants his set to be, he always recognized that fans have preferences of what they’d like to hear while out on the road. He revealed, during an interview with Sounds Like Nashville and other media while backstage at the 2018 CMA Music Festival, that the fans have played a part in choosing what songs from his new album made the cut.

“I reached out to the fans to ask them what songs of the album they’re liking and ‘Never Coming Down’ was a big favorite, ‘Horses’ was another one,” he explained. “It’s been good because it’s been a good eclectic mix of very unexpected songs, so I’m glad they’re responding to it.”

When asked by Sounds Like Nashville on whether or not any of those songs had made the setlist, Urban shared that one of the fan faves would start the top of the show.

“[‘Never Coming Down’] seemed like a no brainer as an opener, but I was very adamant that it should be ‘Coming Home.’ And we had that in place probably all the way up until the end of our tour rehearsal this week, and then flipped it. And it was so screaming to others that it should be ‘Never Coming Down,’ so that change got made,” he said with a laugh.

Urban’s finalized setlist will be in place when he kicks off his Graffiti U World Tour, with special guest Ballerini, on June 15 in St. Louis, Missouri.