Keith Urban

[Kim]

Keith Urban Lends a Hand to a Fan

By: Nashville Kat
tasteofcountry.com


Associated Press


Keith Urban took it upon himself to step up to the plate for Wisconsin fan and hair salon owner Denise Mackey-Natz, who recently lost a prized Urban-themed possession.

Three years ago, Mackey-Natz bought a large fiberglass hand-shaped sculpture at the Children’s Museum of Eau Claire to benefit a charity campaign. The unique item, which she spent $2,500 on, featured depictions of Keith Urban on it. Unfortunately, someone stole it last month.

The sculpture was taken from outside Urban Hair salon, its thief having actually unbolted it from where it was set in concrete block outside the shop’s front. The salon owner and huge Urban fan just wants her piece of art back because “it is so close to her heart,” so she had offered a $200 reward.

Urban himself heard of her plight, and now the ‘Without You’ star says he will donate four VIP passes and four tickets to any show on his Get Closer 2011 World Tour to the person who can help get the stolen hand back.

“When he called, we couldn’t believe it. He said, ‘This is Keith Urban,’ and I thought, ‘Yeah, right.’ He said he talked to his publicist about posting a reward, but he told the publicist he wanted to call me himself,” Mackey-Natz tells The Boot. “I always knew he was a good guy. I always knew I’d meet him someday. Now I will get to meet him. So out of something sad comes this amazing once in a lifetime opportunity.”

[Mallrat]

OFFSTAGE: Keith Urban Gets Thrown by Paparazzi

05/27/11, 11:00 am EDT

(CMT Offstage keeps a 24/7 watch on everything that's happening with country music artists behind the scenes and out of the spotlight.)

You've seen the pictures of Keith Urban, Nicole Kidman and their two perfectly adorable little girls walking through an airport, right? Well, yesterday (May 26) Urban admitted to Milwaukee's FM106 that he is not used to that kind of paparazzi treatment. "We were coming back through L.A. on Monday, and that's where we sort of had that paparazzi stuff. It's funny because we spend most of the year in Nashville, but we never get bothered here. So, usually when you see photos of us it's either in New York or L.A., but it's usually a fleeting visit," he said. "I always get thrown because we can live such a normal life in Nashville." He also talks about his star on the Music City Walk of Fame ("You can officially walk all over me in Nashville"), his Billboard Music Awards performance with actor-comedian Ken Jeong ("I gotta say, that's the first time I've ever seen a banjo shattered on a stage") and on dreaming big even if you're from a small town ("Look at Justin Bieber. He comes from some tiny little town in Canada. Shania Twain, same thing. For people out there that have that dream and that want, there's really nothing stopping you from doing it").[/b][/color][/font]

[Kim]

CMT News

Keith Urban Previews Tour, Visits With Reporters - He Opens Rehearsal to Contest Winners and Press During CMA Music Festival

June 10, 2011
Written by Alison Bonaguro


Keith Urban
Photo Credit: Naomi Heilmann


"I have a deep, deep love for country music. I've been playing it since I was 6," Keith Urban said yesterday (June 9) at a tour rehearsal in Nashville. So that means, in a way, he's been rehearsing for 37 years. That would explain why he already sounded so good.

Even though he's such a natural at live performing, the rehearsal for his upcoming Get Closer tour, sponsored by AT&T and Samsung, was open to about 300 fans, contest winners, media and industry guests at Nashville's Municipal Auditorium.

"This is a funny-looking view," he said to greet the group before shedding some light on what was about to happen.

"We've never done anything like this before, so instead of being freaked out and nervous like I am, I'll explain what we're going to do," he said. "It's not gonna be song, song, song, song, song."

He stayed true to his word and talked his way through the hour-long practice session.

"We need you to sing along and act like a concert, for all intents and purposes. You OK with that?" he asked before opening the mini-show with an a cappella intro of "Put You in a Song." His band came in after the first verse and the elaborate lighting system came on. But the strobe lights, disco ball and rollercoaster-like tracks behind Urban didn't stand out half as much as the large circular screen he used to project images of himself and his music videos.

"That's the gist of it," he said after that first song. He went on to do "Only You Can Love Me This Way," "You Gonna Fly," "Long Hot Summer," an acoustic Urban-only "Making Memories of Us" and a dead-on cover of Little Big Town's "Boondocks." At one point, Urban admitted, "I'm still nervous as hell," although he never looked it. He was smiling, laughing, sweating and acting like the stage is his happy place. He left the main stage to head to a small stage in the back of the crowd, where he played "You'll Think of Me" and "Days Go By."

Back on the big stage, he did his current hit "Without You," which he mentioned was a favorite of Dierks Bentley's. As he always does, he shared the spotlight with his band, giving them each a chance to do bits and pieces of songs before Urban ended the practice show with "Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me" and "You Look Good in My Shirt."

Then came the questions. Urban let the media stick around to ask a few questions, and he answered them all graciously. As for some of the new production elements, he said, "We've got this big toy box, and we've gotta make sure we use it and it doesn't use us. The look of the stage started when I had the idea of a theme park. But not so literal because I'd like it to be more impressionistic." And now that the stage has easy-access ramps, he explained he loved the ease of getting down and back effortlessly. "Well, if you're a mountain goat," he laughed.

When the question of crafting the set list came up, Urban admitted he writes his by keeping in mind that most people have a short attention span. That's why he mixes ballads with up-tempos and singles with album tracks.

"No matter how good a band is, I can only take two or three songs and then I'm like, 'What else you got,'" he said of his own attention span.

Heading into the audience is something that never seems to get old to Urban.

"Sometimes it's really chaotic, but there's something about the adrenaline and electricity and the on-edge unpredictability about it that I really love," he said. "Part of the problem is everything is so thought out that there's not much spontaneity left. I can always feel when something's very predictable."

That led into a discussion of his nightly guitar giveaway which happens during his performance of "You Look Good in My Shirt." There is no real rhyme or reason to selecting the lucky fan.

"It's an instinct thing. It's just random. Sometimes it's a couple. We did it one night to a little boy who was fast asleep. He was probably about 5. I'm standing right next to him, and he's fast asleep," Urban laughed.

The concept came about when he did the stunt for the first time and then realized how hard it was going to be to make his way back to the stage holding a guitar.

"I thought, 'I should just leave the guitar,'" he explained. "I bought a cheap guitar in the town we were in, and it was such a liberating feeling I thought we should do it all the time."

There's one part of Urban's show that features a clip of Waylon Jennings doing his "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way." Asked about that, Urban explained what that song meant to him.

"The song is there because of the philosophy of the song," he said. "The song resonates so deep with me. The reason I love the song so much is because Waylon captured perfectly my journey into Nashville. And the reason I get to make records the way I do is because of what Waylon did. He wasn't trying to buck the system. He was trying to create a situation where he could stay true to his art. It wasn't about anti-authority or anti-anything. It was just about authenticity."

That was when he talked of his deep love of country music.

"I'm always curious about where can it go next. How can it evolve? Still have a sense of identity but remain relevant," he wondered. "That song is perfect for that."

[Mallrat]

Keith Urban Previews Tour, Visits With Reporters

06/10/11, 6:30 pm EDT

"I have a deep, deep love for country music. I've been playing it since I was 6," Keith Urban said yesterday (June 9) at a tour rehearsal in Nashville. So that means, in a way, he's been rehearsing for 37 years. That would explain why he already sounded so good.

Even though he's such a natural at live performing, the rehearsal for his upcoming Get Closer tour, sponsored by AT&T and Samsung, was open to about 300 fans, contest winners, media and industry guests at Nashville's Municipal Auditorium.

"This is a funny-looking view," he said to greet the group before shedding some light on what was about to happen.

"We've never done anything like this before, so instead of being freaked out and nervous like I am, I'll explain what we're going to do," he said. "It's not gonna be song, song, song, song, song."

He stayed true to his word and talked his way through the hour-long practice session.

"We need you to sing along and act like a concert, for all intents and purposes. You OK with that?" he asked before opening the mini-show with an a cappella intro of "Put You in a Song." His band came in after the first verse and the elaborate lighting system came on. But the strobe lights, disco ball and rollercoaster-like tracks behind Urban didn't stand out half as much as the large circular screen he used to project images of himself and his music videos.

"That's the gist of it," he said after that first song. He went on to do "Only You Can Love Me This Way," "You Gonna Fly," "Long Hot Summer," an acoustic Urban-only "Making Memories of Us" and a dead-on cover of Little Big Town's "Boondocks." At one point, Urban admitted, "I'm still nervous as hell," although he never looked it. He was smiling, laughing, sweating and acting like the stage is his happy place. He left the main stage to head to a small stage in the back of the crowd, where he played "You'll Think of Me" and "Days Go By."

Back on the big stage, he did his current hit "Without You," which he mentioned was a favorite of Dierks Bentley's. As he always does, he shared the spotlight with his band, giving them each a chance to do bits and pieces of songs before Urban ended the practice show with "Who Wouldn't Wanna Be Me" and "You Look Good in My Shirt."

Then came the questions. Urban let the media stick around to ask a few questions, and he answered them all graciously. As for some of the new production elements, he said, "We've got this big toy box, and we've gotta make sure we use it and it doesn't use us. The look of the stage started when I had the idea of a theme park. But not so literal because I'd like it to be more impressionistic." And now that the stage has easy-access ramps, he explained he loved the ease of getting down and back effortlessly. "Well, if you're a mountain goat," he laughed.

When the question of crafting the set list came up, Urban admitted he writes his by keeping in mind that most people have a short attention span. That's why he mixes ballads with up-tempos and singles with album tracks.

"No matter how good a band is, I can only take two or three songs and then I'm like, 'What else you got,'" he said of his own attention span.

Heading into the audience is something that never seems to get old to Urban.

"Sometimes it's really chaotic, but there's something about the adrenaline and electricity and the on-edge unpredictability about it that I really love," he said. "Part of the problem is everything is so thought out that there's not much spontaneity left. I can always feel when something's very predictable."

That led into a discussion of his nightly guitar giveaway which happens during his performance of "You Look Good in My Shirt." There is no real rhyme or reason to selecting the lucky fan.

"It's an instinct thing. It's just random. Sometimes it's a couple. We did it one night to a little boy who was fast asleep. He was probably about 5. I'm standing right next to him, and he's fast asleep," Urban laughed.

The concept came about when he did the stunt for the first time and then realized how hard it was going to be to make his way back to the stage holding a guitar.

"I thought, 'I should just leave the guitar,'" he explained. "I bought a cheap guitar in the town we were in, and it was such a liberating feeling I thought we should do it all the time."

There's one part of Urban's show that features a clip of Waylon Jennings doing his "Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way." Asked about that, Urban explained what that song meant to him.

"The song is there because of the philosophy of the song," he said. "The song resonates so deep with me. The reason I love the song so much is because Waylon captured perfectly my journey into Nashville. And the reason I get to make records the way I do is because of what Waylon did. He wasn't trying to buck the system. He was trying to create a situation where he could stay true to his art. It wasn't about anti-authority or anti-anything. It was just about authenticity."

That was when he talked of his deep love of country music.

"I'm always curious about where can it go next. How can it evolve? Still have a sense of identity but remain relevant," he wondered. "That song is perfect for that."

[Mallrat]

Keith Urban’s “Without You” Tops Country Chart

06/11/11, 2:00 pm EDT

Brad Paisley's This Is Country Music holds at No. 1 for the second week on Billboard's country albums chart. But his "Old Alabama," last week's top song, falls to No. 2 as Keith Urban's "Without You" takes the summit at the end of an 18-week climb.

There are no new albums to spotlight but four re-entries: Luke Bryan's EP, Spring Break 3 ... It's a Shore Thing (back at No. 65), the Josh Abbott Band's She's Like Texas (No. 67), The Essential Dixie Chicks (No. 68) and the multi-artist collection Mud Digger (No. 75).

And there are five new songs:

Craig Campbell's "Fish" debuts at No. 53 and is followed by Sara Evans' "My Heart Can't Tell You No" at No. 54. Big & Rich (featuring Gretchen Wilson) gain admission at No. 56 with "Fake I.D." Other entries include the Lunabelles' "A Place to Shine" (No. 58) and Kellie Pickler's "Tough" (No. 59).

Completing the Top 5 albums cluster, in descending order, are Jason Aldean's My Kinda Party, the Zac Brown Band's You Get What You Give, Taylor Swift's Speak Now and Rascal Flatts' Nothing Like This.

The No. 3 through No. 5 songs are Blake Shelton's "Honey Bee," Swift's "Mean" and The Band Perry's "You Lie."

That speed demon racing up the charts is Kenny Chesney's "You and Tequila," featuring Grace Potter. Since last week, it's gone from No. 21 to No. 16 -- and it's only five weeks out.

Now to the serious business of Title Tales, wherein two current song titles or more come together for an explosion of new meaning. To that end, we submit:

Sara Evans + Lauren Alaina = "My Heart Can't Tell You No Like My Mother Does"

Thompson Square + the Lunabelles = "I Got You a Place To Shine"

Phil Vassar + Sugarland + Taylor Swift + Kellie Pickler + Eric Church = "Let's Get Together Tonight Mean Tough Homeboy"

Top that.

[Mallrat]

Urban opens rehearsals to fans

06/13/11, 1:43 pm EDT

With the start of his ‘Get Closer’ World Tour less than a week away, country superstar Keith Urban dubbed last Thursday (June 9) as “Take Your Fans to Work” day.

The singer, who opened his tour rehearsals to approximately 500 fan club members, contest winners and industry folk, decided that a dress rehearsal wasn’t complete without an audience.

The open rehearsal, which took place at Nashville’s Municipal Auditorium, took the form of a mini concert which included all the bells and whistles of the full show. Included on the travelling stage was a big round screen which projected videos for each song and an elaborate lighting fixture shaped like a rollercoaster.

Having accidently kicked off the hour long set with his hit song, ‘Only You Can Love Me This Way,’ Urban announced to his fans that it was the wrong song.

“OK, this is the point where we give you your money back," said the singer jokingly. “What would we have done if that happened on the tour, you ask? Well, we would've just played the wrong song."

After performing a number of his hit songs including ‘Days Go By,’ ‘Without You,’ ‘Who Wouldn’t Want to Be Me’ and ‘You Look Good in My Shirt,’ Urban humbly thanked the audience for coming.

Kicking off his tour on June 16 in Biloxi, Missippi, Urban will make his way to the Great White North on September 9 to Kanata, Ontario.

With a total of nine Canadian dates on his tour schedule, CMT Canada is giving fans a chance to ‘Get Closer to Keith Urban.’ Enter today for your chance to see Keith Urban perform in the tour city of your choice, plus win a ‘Get Closer to Keith Urban Backstage Experience’ for you and a friend. For more details or to enter today, go to promos.cmt.ca/KeithUrbanTourContest.

[Mallrat]

OFFSTAGE: Dinner at Keith Urban’s? “I’m In,” Says Jake Owen

06/15/11, 4:00 pm EDT

(CMT Offstage keeps a 24/7 watch on everything that's happening with country music artists behind the scenes and out of the spotlight.)

I was so glad to see Jake Owen last week on the CMT Music Awards red carpet. Not just because he has so many cool things going on, like a video for his "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" and a spot on Keith Urban's tour, but because he talks and talks and talks. He's open and honest and pretty much holds nothing back. So when I asked his date Lacey Buchanan if she liked country music, Owen told me this: "We had dinner last night dinner at Keith's house. Kenny [Chesney] was hugging me, and Lacey was like, 'Who is that?'" So Buchanan might not know these players, but I do. So naturally, I wanted to know more about this little dinner party. Who else was there? Nicole Kidman, Sheryl Crow, Reba McEntire. What did you all eat? Wine, Italian food from Giovanni's restaurant, then some tiramisu. "It was the classiest thing I've ever been a part of," Owen said.

[Kim]

Keith Urban, Nicole Kidman and Kids Spotted in Sydney


Oceanic Media Group, FilmMagic


Busy couple Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman were spotted at the Sydney, Australia airport on July 6 with their little girls, Sunday Rose and Faith Margaret, in tow.

Kidman, who is obviously a proud mom, smiled over Sunday Rose, whose hand was locked in her father’s as the family entered the busy international airport. Kidman carried six-month-old Faith Margaret, draped in a pink blanket, in her arms.

This isn’t the first time that the family has been spotted down under recently. Just a few weeks ago, as daddy Urban was elsewhere preparing for his U.S. tour, Kidman and her girls entered Australia on what was baby Faith’s first trip to her parents’ native land.

We’re sure everyone was excited to see Urban this time around! Though he was absent last time, he likely flew into Australia to celebrate his eldest daughter’s third birthday on July 7. Two weeks ago, he and his wife celebrated five years together, and we can tell that their two girls are growing like weeds before their eyes — and ours.

Speaking of things that are quick to climb, Urban’s single ‘Long Hot Summer‘ is racing up the charts following his last track, ‘Without You,’ which reached No. 1 on the Country Songs chart and No. 52 on Billboard’s Hot 100. Keith Urban’s 2011 Get Closer tour rolls through Hershey, P.A.’s Giant Center on Thursday, July 7, with almost daily stops from here on out.

[Kim]

BUNDLE OF CUTE

That's one precious carry-on! Nicole Kidman holds tight to 6-month-old daughter Faith before boarding a flight out of Australia's Sydney Airport on Wednesday.

[Kim]

Heading down under for Sunday Rose's 3rd birthday!!

[Kim]

[Kim]

Keith Urban Shares Inside Look of His 2011 Get Closer Tour


Amy Sciarretto
tasteofcountry.com



Jason Merritt


Keith Urban recently gave Yallwire an intimate look at his Get Closer tour. Urban puts a lot of thought into his stage set-up and the overall production value of the tour, so fans are definitely getting the most out of the dollars they shell out on the ticket to see the singer.

Urban revealed that he initially came up with the idea for a theme park for the set-up, but that he wanted to take it a step further when trying to find the right look. He admitted that he did not want it to be something “literal, but slightly more impressionistic, hence the circle.”

Urban performs on a circular stage, since he loves to “get closer” to the fans. While Urban took a tumble off the stage at the very first show of the tour, he’s found his stability and feeds off the energy of being in close proximity to the crowd.

“I love getting out among everybody,” the singer said. “It gets chaotic, what am I doing out here. There is something about the adrenaline, electricity and on edge unpredictability that I love. I think that’s what live concerts are about.”

While a major arena tour is carefully planned down the tiniest of details, effectively wiping away much of the unpredictability of a more intimate and much smaller venue, Urban still aims to bring that edgy feeling to his concerts, regardless of size and scope. “When it gets to this level of production, everything is so thought out and there’s not much spontaneity left,” Nicole Kidman’s husband admitted. “I can always feel it, when it’s too predictable or trying to look very spontaneous. It’s like, ‘Yeah, I am not really buying that.’ So we’re trying to keep some real life in the show, to pull people out of the audience. It’s random.”

Urban said also, “Everything is in the moment and just on the edge of disaster,” which is certainly true when you think about the fact that he fell off the stage. While it wasn’t disastrous in that he got physically hurt, it was a bit embarrassing. Overall, though, the singer puts safety of the concertgoers first. “My concern is with the fans and their safety,” Urban stated. “At one show in Memphis, the [building's] railing gave way and it made me nervous about getting too close to people up high. They get excited, lean over. It’s a terrible feeling. I am trying to find that balance between not letting them get too crazy and letting them respond to the moment too!”

Watch Keith Urban Talk About the ‘Get Closer’ Tour (click on link below)

tasteofcountry.com/keith-urban-talks-2011-get-closer-tour/

[Mallrat]

Keith Urban Enjoying an Edgier 'Long Hot Summer'

Posted Jul 8th 2011 5:30PM by Gayle Thompson

Keith Urban is having a hot summer indeed. The guitar slinger is crossing the country on his Get Closer world tour, performing his current Top 30 single, 'Long Hot Summer,' which he wrote with '80s pop icon Richard Marx.

"We hadn't written a lot in the last year or two," the father of two explains on his blog. "I really loved writing with him. We wrote 'Better Life' on the last record and 'Everybody' on the last album as well. I just really wanted to write with him again. He came to Nashville and we did a typical sort of drum machine and little loop groove. I like the drive and the edgier sort of thing."

The husband of actress Nicole Kidman also sang about his favorite season in his 2009 hit, 'Til Summer Comes Around.' It's a theme he hopes to continue in the future. "I like to have at least one good summer song on the record," says Keith. "It's been a hit for touring. It's always good having those songs."

The singer-songwriter says he was inspired to pen 'Long Hot Summer' by thinking of a specific scenario. "I love radio songs, and there are certain songs that I write specifically trying to hear them on the radio or just in the car," he tells The Boot. "That's the place I usually have in mind when I write. I still love hearing music in a car more than anywhere."

Keith's Get Closer tour, which includes opening act Jake Owen, heads to Massachusetts tonight (July 8), followed by two weekend shows in Connecticut. Keep track of his concert schedule here, www.tourtracker.com/artist/keith-urban/1241669/?flv=1 and click below to watch The Boot's exclusive behind-the-scenes tour video with Keith.

video.aol.com/aolvideo/null/keith-urban-tour-preview/991609634001[/b][/font][/color]

[Kim]

Keith Urban Explains His Tattoos


Keith Urban doesn't talk about his tattoos often, but for his latest webisode, the Aussie spills some details on his storied, avian ink. Turns out that the eagle over his right shoulder blade is a personal emblem for his appreciation for America.

"I got an eagle because I was in America," the country star recalls of his early days in the U.S. "I had just been spending time here, I was single and I thought, it's my birthday, I want to give myself a cool gift. I thought the eagle just seemed perfect. It was American, I had my freedom, and it was something that would be on this journey with me for my whole life."

Keith seems to relate to his fierce, feathered friends -- in life and in business. Earlier this summer, Keith released his own 'Phoenix' fragrance for men and subsequently explained the significance of the Phoenix tattoo on his left arm.


Getty Images for AT&T Samsung


"I've always loved symbolism and mythology, the symbolism of the phoenix being something that succumbs to the challenges and burns in the fire, but then is resurrected from the ashes and rises up even stronger than before," Keith told Women's Wear Daily. "The 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger' story of the phoenix ... I can relate very strongly to that, going through hard times and coming out the other end of it much stronger for the experience."

The CMA nominee's tattoos don't stop there. He has a "Nicole" tattoo with hearts on his right bicep and a Celtic symbol with initials NMK on his right wrists in honor of his wife, actress Nicole Kidman. That second Nicole tribute ink covered up an older tattoo that read "Omni Vincit Amor," Latin for "Love Conquers All."

[Kim]

Keith Urban Ends His ‘Long Hot Summer’ by Topping the Country Singles Charts


This week, Keith Urban’s ‘Long Hot Summer’ has climbed to the top of both the Billboard and Mediabase/Country Aircheck country singles charts, marking the singer’s 13th career No. 1 single to date.

Urban co-wrote ‘Long Hot Summer’ with Richard Marx and recorded it for his ‘Get Closer’ album, which was released last year. The twosome have a run of luck with writing successful songs, as the two are the same writing team behind Urban’s previous hits ‘Better Life’ and ‘Everybody.’

“I love writing with Richard,” says Urban in a press statement. “We wrote a bit for the last record and nothing sort of eventuated from it, and it frustrated me. I thought, ‘We need to go at it again. I know we can write a song. So he came to Nashville, and we had just under a few hours to try to come up with something, and lo and behold, this song came out of the session.”

‘Long Hot Summer’ was released as the third single from ‘Get Closer,’ following previous singles ‘Put You in a Song,’ which peaked at No. 2, and ‘Without You,’ which topped the charts this past June.

Next week, Urban will be releasing his fourth single from the ‘Get Closer’ album, ‘You Gonna Fly.’ Look for Urban to perform the tune today (October 11) on ‘The Ellen DeGeneres Show.’

Urban is in the midst of his Get Closer 2011 World Tour, which wraps on October 15 in Minneapolis, Minn. Next month, Urban will appear at the 45th Annual CMA Awards, where he is nominated for both Entertainer and Male Vocalist of the Year. The singer-songwriter will also perform during the awards, which will broadcast live on ABC on Wednesday, November 9 at 8:00PM ET.