Congrats to Keith Urban...

Mr. Urban won a bunch of awards at the CMAs and he genuinely seems like a nice guy who is surprised when he wins. Here's a concert review about his shows post winning the Ent. of the Year award: CONCERT REVIEW: Keith Urban
Country boy shows a lot of rock in his soul, notable crowd skills
BY MELISSA RUGGIERI
TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER
Saturday, November 19, 2005


Keith Urban will be in concert Friday night at the Richmond Coliseum. 
 
MUSIC REVIEW
KEITH URBAN
WHERE:
Richmond Coliseum WHEN:
Last night

At least one woman got to lie on the stage floor next to Keith Urban last night, and, despite persistent rumors of a sighting, it wasn't his "friend," Nicole Kidman.

Instead, a middle-aged fan from Roanoke received the type of loving attention (a cuddle and a song) most stars of Urban's stature don't bother with - perhaps one reason why this country hunk has escalated to Tim McGraw-level popularity.
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Urban's talent is monstrous - his electrifying guitar skills are even better than his singing - but his stubbled handsomeness and willingness to envelop his audience might also have something to do with his well-deserved success.

Then there's his modesty: "A couple of cool things happened this week, and I saved a bunch of money on my car insurance," he said with a flash of that Colgate smile, his humble manner of acknowledging being crowned Entertainer of the Year at the Country Music Awards.

No doubt he's a country boy, but there's a lot of rock'n' roll in Urban's soul and he embraces it readily. The twangy banjo that introduced "Where the Blacktop Ends" signaled his allegiance to country, but by song's end, that banjo was replaced by a stinging electric guitar solo from Urban that indicated affection for Aerosmith's Joe Perry.

But it wasn't only Urban's wailing, scratching, blazing fretwork in "Ready to Fall" and "Raining On Sunday" that screamed rock star - it was his entire presence.

Casually sexy in a tight gray T-shirt and jeans, the 38-year-old New Zealander spent nearly two hours making all the right moves. He ripped out a solo under a white spotlight, his expertly highlighted hair blasted by a wind machine. He flew over the audience mid-set to play to the back of the house, offering an acoustic "Homespun Love" from his days with The Ranch.

He spent more time than expected reading hand-held signs, most of them begging for some type of physical collision with him ("This monkey's wish is your scruffy kiss," read one). He also made sure to acknowledge some of the younger fans in the crowd of more than 8,000, thus proving his male sensitivity.

Urban's mid-range voice is appealing enough, and his songs are perfectly acceptable country-crossover fodder.

But, much like Garth Brooks, his effortless ability to engage an audience - honed from stints opening for McGraw and mentor Kenny Chesney - is what separates his live set from some of the more manicured trappings of country shows.

He's surrounded himself with a taut five-piece band, including ace session guitarist Chris Rodriguez, that was capable of blasting an impassioned version of Aerosmith's "What It Takes" (with Urban on drums) as easily as capturing the quiet, wounded spirit of "You'll Think of Me."

Urban proved last night that he's an extraordinary performer and deserving of that Entertainer of the Year nod.

Let's hope his escalating celebrity doesn't muddle his musical future.

P.S. This posting was inspired by a fan who emailed saying:

You bet I'll email you! You and all that have anything to do with the news media. What? y'all can't get the news you want out of Keith Urban, so don't give him the pubicity that he deserves winning THREE awards for country music.It can't be that y'all are racist because he's from another country? No ,I think not. It's because you can't get the gossip you want on his personal life and what is really going on between him and Red. Y'all get a life of your own, he's trying to. And I'm really PO'D at all the media for not writing anything on this wonderful, talented artist other than trash! I go into any news site and there it is, ONE sentence on him winning one of the biggest awards in his life. And yes, if you go watch one of his performances, you'd know why he's a household name. Yes he has skeletons in his closet, but he didn't hide them. As a matter of fact, I'm sure they came out of his mouth. And what, he's the only one that has battled demons in this wonderful world we live in. You are not the only one that will be getting this letter, newspapers,aol,yahoo and any other idiot that feels the need to not write about the wonders of this man, other than the fact of some actress. It won't hurt his fame or the statis of his fans. WE ARE LOYAL to the one that give us faith again in God, family, love, life, and the power of his music. The media is a sorry batch!