Keith Urban Tacoma Dome September 2009

I will forever and for always remember this concert as the night that I got to meet Mr. Keith Urban and received a hug!!!  The moment is a blur but this is how I think it went:  He comes to me with his hand outreached to shake my hand and say hello, I ask for a hug, throw my arms around him to capture him in a death grip hug, and, at the last minute, remember to sniff him while he’s trying to break free.

Backstage BBQ

 

 

 

 

The night started off with the Back Stage Experience.  It was a little different from what I was expecting, but since I was anticipating my moment with Keith, everything else was just killing time until our moment together.  There was a huge spread of food but since I had eaten a few hours earlier and was a bundle of restlessness, I didn’t have much of an appetite (for once).  I just grabbed some water and took pictures of the posters that were hung up around the tent.

Finally the moment came to line up for photos.  One girl, Emily, noticed that I was alone so we started chatting and got in line.  Right in front of us were the other Monkeyville girls I had been hoping to meet, so there were a few introductions while we stood in line for what seemed like forever.  While we were waiting in line Ann asked what song we wanted to request for him to sing.  We were drawing blanks, but agreed her suggestion of Your Everything was the best choice.  It’s an older song and it was unlikely that it would be included in the show.  The line started moving and we were inside with Keith taking our group photo, which is when and where I got my hug!  In concert he is larger than life and this ball of energy that never stops.  In person, he was modest, humble, and appreciative that we were there for the show. 

Once pictures were done and everyone was back in the tent, we got to see a behind-the-scenes video of putting the Defying Gravity concert tour together.  It was a cute video with all of the band members playing funny parts in it.  When the video was over, out came Keith!  He asked what song we’d like to hear and Ann came through like a champ, shouting out Your Everything!

Keith started laughing, commenting that he wasn’t sure he could remember all of the words.  He started into the song but had to stop because he was singing in the wrong key!  The second time was the charm….until a guy in the back shouted out, “I love you.”  Keith said I love you too man, then lost it, and said it’s always weird to hear guys say they love him.  The break caused him to forget the words to the second verse.  After a pause, he composed himself, found the words, and continued on.  He finished the song by singing, “I’m thinking of my wife while singing this song and not the guy in the back.”  (Note: I’ve paraphrased this interaction from my sketchy memory.  The facts are that he sang Your Everything and some guy shouted he loved Keith.)

After the song he answered a few questions, and proved to be like every father I know; he couldn’t stop talking about his daughter!  He had cute stories about her first words and the time he spends with her. 

With that, the Back Stage Experience was over.  I was sad to have the experience end, but excited to have time to watch the opening act, Little Big Town!  I think they sound amazing together and have wanted to see them live, so it really was my lucky night!

Little Big Town

 

 

 

 

As I was entering the Tacoma Dome, I could hear Little Big Town already into their performance.  They pretty much just line up and sing, and it works for them.  They sound amazing together and were really entertaining. They ended their set with Boondocks, which always reminds me of home.

Keith Urban

Keith opened the show with Hit The Ground Running, which set the tone perfectly for the show.  From Hit the Ground, he moved into Where the Blacktop Ends.  I don’t remember every song but it was a decent mix from all of his cds.  One highlight for me was the duet with Little Big Town singing Seven Bridges Road.  (Not sure if that’s technically a duet.)  All five of them sounded great together.  One thing that I missed was Keith’s lack of covers during this show.  I’ve seen him cover U2 and Violent Femmes but this time, there weren’t any unexpected surprises like that.  (I know it’s being unreasonable to say, “He put on a great show, but…”)  What I really liked about this particular show was that he played more solo sets and more songs with his acoustic guitar. 

What I didn’t like about the show was having people rush into the space next to me. They didn’t seem to care that they were bigger than me and crowding into my space.  This severely limited my dancing ability!  Once security came and cleared them out, I had a lot more fun!   

Like I said at the beginning, the night was all about meeting Keith and getting a hug.  The whole night was a blur but I know I’ll never forget it!

The Band

 

 

 

 

The band intros:

Brian Nutter singing Open Arms

Chris Rodriguez singing Ain’t No Mountain High Enough

Jerry Flowers singing Ain’t No Sunshine