Keith Urban Loves The ‘Unpredictability’ of Las Vegas
Keith Urban debuted his new headlining Las Vegas residency this past weekend at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. Keith told us before the residency started, “It’s a…
Keith Urban debuted his new headlining Las Vegas residency this past weekend at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. Keith told us before the residency started, "It's a new production from the ground up."
Urban knows the dry climate in Las Vegas is tough on his vocals. But he has a remedy for it. "So, it's definitely drinking lots and lots of water all day, every day." He added of playing Sin City, "I love it, I love the energy. I love the audience and the unpredictability of it because the audience is always different night after night. Even a Friday night is different from the next Friday night. It's always unexpected."
He said, "Live shows are so important because that's where you see a song connects, see what part of the song connects, and get instant feedback. It's amazing. It's in real-time, and yet it changes just like research can from this night to that night, from that person to that person."
Urban knows the final goal of every show. "At the end of the day, my shows are all about the spirit of inclusivity and togetherness of people that might not have anything else in common. I know that I have people in my audience that run the gamut of political and every religious persuasion, and yet they are all there for the music."
He added, "My job for two hours is to have everybody come together. It's an amazing gift to have music to do that with 'cause even at a sporting event, the audience is split in half. We get the opportunity to have everybody in agreement for two hours, which is pretty rarified air."
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It's that gauge with the crowd that sometimes can change a show right in the middle of it. He explains, "Extend this, shorten this, ditch that. I've looked at a set list and gone, 'Nope, not that song' for whatever reason. I've got a little microphone on the drum riser that's got a foot switch connected to it. I can walk over, hit the foot switch to talk to the band without anybody else hearing. And make a quarterback call."
But in the end, no matter what stage he is on, has one very important word that Keith takes to heart. He says, "I keep reminding people the first word is 'play.' I play guitar. We play a show. I play music. Yes, it's a job. It's got a huge amount of practice and discipline, but if I lose sight of that first word 'play,' then I am completely missing it."
He continues, "It has to be playful. Spontaneous is something I have always loved. It's cause I grew up playing in the clubs. I grew up playing little clubs, and you've got to be in the moment. That audience is gonna let you know real quick if you suck. And you're going to have to learn to make real fast changes or just be eaten alive."
Keith Urban is a superstar in country music and a gem of a man who plays the guitar like no one else before him or since. His concerts are epic, and he changes them for each city he is in to fit that city.
Recently in Nashville, he bought up-and-coming country singer, who sang in the bar across the street from the Bridgestone Arena, to sing with him giving her two songs and one heck of a push in the music industry.
In the same show, he brought out superstar Luke Combs to sing a couple of songs and even brought his wife, Oscar winner Nicole Kidman to the stage just to say hi to his fans.
It's hard to find just 20 songs that encompass the mega-career of Urban, but we ranked what we believe are his very best for his 55th birthday today (10/26).
20. "You're My Better Half" 2004
UMGSo good! The song was released in October 2004 as the second single from his album ‘Be Here.’ The song peaked at number 2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs charts.
19. "You Look Good in My Shirt" 2008
UMGIt’s hard not to picture Nicole Kidman wearing his shirt in this song. The couple was married two years earlier. The song’s lyrics tell of a male and female who had previously broken up but reunited the night before. The chorus takes place the morning after their reunion.
18. "Kiss a Girl" 2009
UMGThe official video for the song consists of Keith and the band performing in an animated city. Also included are two people who eventually find each other and fall in love. In the end, the Ferris wheel they ride displays "KISS" on each car, a reference to the song's title.
17. "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16" 2015
UMGFrom Urban's Ripcord album. The song uses several name-drops to illustrate the narrator's influences in life, culminating in "I learned everything I needed to know from John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16."
16. "Wasted Time" 2016
UMGRight before the release of the song, as his final performance on American Idol, the show on which Urban was a judge at the time, he sang "Wasted Time," playing the "ganjocaster," a combination between a banjo and electric guitar built by his former bandmate Brian Nutter.
15. "You'll Think of Me" 2004
UMGThere is some debate as to the correct line "take your cat and leave my sweater" which has been misheard as "take your cap and leave my sweater." In 2018, Keith confirmed in an interview that the lyric is in fact "cat.”
14. "Better Life" 2005
UMGThe song became Urban's seventh number one hit on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart and spent six weeks at that position. The song's video shows Keith and his band performing the song in a Los Angeles culvert, intercut with scenes of a struggling young pair of lovers having their ups and downs. The video won the CMT Music Awards Video of the Year in 2006.
13. "Blue Ain't Your Color" 2016
UMGWhat an amazing love song. "Blue Ain't Your Color" received two Grammy nominations at the 59th Grammy Awards – Best Country Solo Performance for Urban and Best Country Song for its songwriters. It also won both the CMA Award for Single of the Year and the American Music Award for Favorite Country Song in 2017.
12. "Sweet Thing" 2008
UMGAlthough a love song, the lyrics were inspired by Keith's relationship with his Ford Mustang, which is seen in this song's music video.
11. "Raise 'Em Up" (featuring Eric Church) 2015
UMGAccording to Urban, when he sent a demo to Church with the intent of having him serve as a duet partner on it, Church asked, "How do you write a song as good as that?" and Keith replied that he did not write the song, but when he heard the demo, he was "floored."
10. "Somebody Like You" 2002
UMGThe banjo at the beginning of this song wins me over from the very first note. In December 2009, Billboard ranked "Somebody Like You" as the number one country song for the first decade of the 21st century.
9. "We Were" 2019
UMGI remember Keith performing this song with just a guitar at Country Radio Seminar in March of 2019. We all knew right then that it was going to be a big ole hit. Eric Church co-wrote the song. The song charted top five in Billboard.
8. "Days Go By" 2004
UMGThe song became Urban's fifth number-one single on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart in late-2004, spending a four-week stay at that position. The video won the CMT Award for Best Video of 2005.
7. "We Were Us" (with Miranda Lambert) 2013
UMGThis is a wonderful pairing of Keith and Miranda Lambert. The song is the narrators' reminiscence of lost love. Lambert sings the first verse, Urban sings the second verse, and both sing the choruses and bridge together.
6. "But for the Grace of God" 2000
UMGAn early single and his first number one song, Keith wrote it with Jane Wiedlin of the Go-Go’s and held it for two years thinking it didn’t fit him just right. He recorded it, and it fit him like a glove. Great song!
5. "One Too Many" (with P!nk) 2020
UMGWho knew these two would sound so good together? The song debuted at the 55th Academy of Country Music Awards on September 16, 2020 and was released that day as the third single from The Speed of Now Part 1. Urban said, "I've always loved Pink's voice, but her artistry and her multi-faceted ability to create, and her God-given talent, truly makes her one of the greatest voices of our time."
4. "God Whispered Your Name," 2020
UMGKeith said of the song, " It absolutely spoke to me and tells my journey in such a profound way going through a season in a life of being very lost and lonely and confused and not knowing how to get out of that."
3. "Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me" 2003
UMGClassic Urban, and who *wouldn’t* want to be him? The music video premiered in mid-2003. It features footage from Keith's 2003 summer tour, as well as shots of Keith riding a motorcycle.
2. "Where the Blacktop Ends" 2001
UMGThe guitar riff in this song has become legendary. This classic was released in April 2001 as the fourth and final single from Keith’s first American self-titled album. The song became his third (consecutive) Top 5 hit on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles and Tracks chart after reaching number 3.
1."The Fighter" (featuring Carrie Underwood) 2017
UMGPossibly one of my favorite songs of all time. It’s so simple yet so good, and he and Carrie’s vocals together are amazing! Love the lyrics and the melody. Keith said he wrote the song after having a conversation with his wife Nicole when they first got together. It was his way of reassuring her he would always be there for her.
