Keith Urban – “Escape Together World Tour”

The stage was set up differently than last year’s Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy World Tour. There was an extension of the stage that came out into the arena floor where Keith would later do a few songs & guitar solos. Also the two ends of the stage were ramped down to the floor to make it easy for Keith to just walk off the stage and into the crowd, which he took advantage of on several occasions on the two nights. There were 5 huge video screens on stage as well so that everyone could see every part of the show from wherever they sat. Lucky fans who were sitting in the first 8 rows got bracelets which allowed them to stand right at the stage, another way that Keith could get closer to his fans!

Jason Aldean came out on Thursday night and got the crowd going with hits like Relentless, Johnny Cash, his first hit Hicktown, and his latest, She’s Country!

Little Big Town started Fridays show with a mix of their hits like “Fine Line” and “Bring it On Home”and some lesser known singles that LBT fans have come to love. They harmonize so well together that when they performed their song “Bones” and blended right into Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain”, the crowd really responded! Of course, everybody got up and sang along to their hit “Boondocks” at the end of their set!

Keith came on at exactly 9 pm and got the party started with “Hit the Ground Running” off his Defying Gravity cd. He then did a mix of hits from “Days Go By” and “Blacktop” to “Stupid Girl” with his always amazing guitar solos and high energy. He told the crowd Thursday night: “You know I’m really nervous tonight,” he said. “I almost lost my voice on the first two songs, but we’re getting back on track now.”

During “Better Half” Keith decided to take a stroll into the crowd and went all the way to the back of the Arena where there was a small 8’by8′ stage waiting for him. “How do ya like your seats NOW?” he asked the ecstatic crowd. On both nights there were fans with signs and Keith took the opportunity to read them at that point. Thursday night he called up a couple who were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary and congratulated them and dedicated “Making Memories of Us” to them, and also did a nice acoustic of “Once in a Lifetime”.

On Friday night I was brought up to meet him because he liked my sign and gave me a guitar pick for my son! It was the most exciting night! When he was done singing he headed back to the stage through the enthralled crowds and played more old favorites and new songs off his Defying Gravity cd. By the end of the show he had played 20 of his past, present and hopefully future hits! He introduced his band mates and gave them all a little solo time on the mic, and they were all just having a blast performing. As soon as the first riffs of You Look Good in my Shirt played, the arena went crazy! Everyone was thinking, ok, where is he going to go? what is he going to do? True to his unpredictability he changed his path a few times and went to “visit” his fans in a few different parts of the arena and got right in there with them to sing “Shirt”. It was great seeing him have so much fun!

Keith had a surprise guest on Friday when he brought Jamey Johnson on stage to sing Jamey’s hit “in Color” with him. It was fantastic! He kept the party going with his newer hits “Sweet Thing” and “Kiss a Girl” mixed in with “Somebody Like You” and “Who wouldn’t want to be Me” When he came out for his encore it was just him & Chris Rodriguez to do an acoustic of “Tonight I Wanna Cry” and it was beautiful! “I was freaking out at the beginning of the show, but you guys made it easier with your love and appreciation,” Keith said before his final song. “It’s some hard times out there for a lot of people, so it’s especially gratifying that you chose to come out to see us tonight.” He ended the show with “Better Life” and confetti streamed from the ceilings in celebration of a show that was fantastic!