I’ve watched Keith Urban’s musical career from almost the start. From the early Tamworth Star Maker win in 1990 to his first album, his release as part of The Ranch and then the solo albums that followed. I’ve been lucky enough to see his career go from strength to strength in the live arena as well. In Brisbane Keith was the guitarist in a pub band called Rusty and the Ayres Rockettes which you couldn’t escape in the eighties. I saw The Ranch perform in venues holding about 200 punters and then his arena debut as support to LeAnn Rimes in early 2002. Fast forward to the present and last night at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena, in front of a capacity 11,000 fans, I witnessed Keith’s full US show and I’m here to say, this is one hell of a show.

The 13 semi’s waiting out front held one of the biggest stages to be fitted into an Australian venue. The reason it’s so big is because of the ramps that come into the crowd ensuring Keith and his band are right amongst the audience. So much so, there were no security barriers around the stage, if audience members wanted to walk up on stage that easily could, although I’m sure the security who are waiting in the wings would have something to say about that. The other major part of the set was the 5 massive video screens that form the back of the stage. State of the art, up close and personal vision that not only featured the band and amazing visual images but also crowd shots with camera placed all over the arena.

And the show? Bob Evans and his band are the support for the tour and they took to the big stage a little nervous to begin with. This is a new crowd for Bob and a new style of venue to play after all. The crowd were very receptive and as his set went on the applause got louder after each song. Bob started to find his groove as well, cracking jokes in-between songs. It was very cool to see a huge line at the march desk after his set for people wanting to meet him and grab an album. So much so….they sold out of albums!

After Bob Evans finished, a very clever set of classic rock n roll songs kicked in designed to keep the crowd vibed while waiting for Keith. Then the dramatic start of the show with a full curtain covering the stage and the thumping intro music building the intensity. I know Keith was expecting the Australian crowd to be its usual, sit-back-and-impress-me-first-before-I-get-out-of-my-seat type crowd, so I’m sure he was taken aback when they leapt to their feet from the moment the curtain dropped. The perfect set up to the start of a show.

From that point on if was 2 hour of high energy rock n roll. Keith’s 5 piece band of multi instrumentalists are world class, I’ve always been a big fan of bass player Jerry Flowers who was in The Ranch with Keith but all of his other players, Chris Rodriguez, Brian Nutter, Chris McHugh and Brad Rice are just as talented both with the instruments of trade and their vocal abilities. Keith of course is a guitar virtuoso, his playing is so phenomenal. I still find people that don’t realise just how amazing a guitarist this man is and I urge everyone to get to a show and see it for yourself.

This show was all about the crowd and making us feel as close to the action as possible. As Keith ran through all of his hits Days Go By, Better Half, You Look Good In My Shirt, Kiss A Girl, Standing Right In Front Of You, fans were treated to close up video footage, Keith walking right through the crowd and playing right up the back, making the worst seats in the house the best. He played a solo version of Once In A Lifetime that encouraged the crowd to an all in sing-along. He even went into the upper side of the crowd and played another song. The band were running and leaping from side to side and ramp to ramp of the stage. The energy was incredibly high for the entire two hours. Another highlight was Keith embracing local talent and inviting Melbourne singer songwriter, Megan Washington to the stage for a rendition of Billy Joel’s You May Be Right which was very cool.

The night ended with a bang of confetti pouring over the audience and Keith obviously quite happy with the reception of his first show on home soil in 2 years. There are still tickets available for the Sydney and Brisbane shows. I can’t recommend going along high enough. It’s a massive commitment bringing this show to Australia and I for one are very grateful for the experience.

Here’s a bit of The Urbanator’s charm to seal the deal: