Keith Urban Kicks Off World Tour with New Band and Album

Keith Urban has officially launched his High and Alive World Tour, his first major trek in three years following 2022's The Speed of Now World Tour. The tour coincides with the upcoming release of his new album, HIGH, and showcases new production elements, a reconfigured band, and material spanning his 30-year catalog of hits.

Urban says he's energized by the evolution of his music on stage. "When I make an album, that's one version of those songs," he explained. "It's just one version. Yes, it's the recorded version, but it's just one version. I love getting out on stage and continuing to discover, expand, and excavate more of what these songs' potential is. And it happens live. Songs get a little longer, or they have little moments. They evolve over the course of touring. I love that I get to give the songs more dimension live."

He spends months trying to create a set list, calling it 'torturous,' like doing a Rubik's cube. But for Urban, while the audience may not know every song, the order and emotional ebb and flow of the setlist are vital.

"I love that because it just reminds me to make sure the bones are good in everything," he added. "In the songs, in the band, in my playing, make sure the bones are good, and then I'm not leaning on other things."

Supporting acts on the tour include Chase Matthew, Alana Springsteen, and Karley Scott Collins. Urban praised Matthew's vocal power and crowd appeal, discovered Springsteen after seeing her at Milwaukee's Summerfest, and was introduced to Collins through her work with producer Nathan Chapman.

"I've always just followed the inner voice that says it's time to make a change, in any area of my life, and sort of just leap," Urban shared during a recent media event. "There's something exhilarating about living that way and about performing that way."