Winter concert series - Keith Urban

Last night, Alicia & I went to see the Keith Urban "Light the Fuse" tour at the Yum Center.  It was the final stop on the tour so it was extra crazy!  Tons of high energy & this man knows how to connect with the audience...more on that in a minute....

Alicia wasn't quite ready when I got there because I was early so I got to be entertained by her four children.  (That'll teach me....)

Reese finally got over the trauma from staying with me for a week & a half & was more than happy to let me pet her.  I was sitting on the couch next to Sam who was watching an IU ballgame.  He kept quizzing me, 

Sam: "Do you know who number 0 is?  

Me: "Uhm, no..."  

Sam:  "Ok -it's xxxxx (can't remember)"

Sam:  "Do you know who number 22 is?"

Me:  "Uhm, no...."

Sam:  "Ok, it's xxxxx (yea can't remember again)"  

 Jake brought out a race track to 'put on a show' & boy did he ever.  He had race cars launching from the top of the lamp on top of the coffee table.  And guess what?  He told me how 'they used to have another lamp in the corner but it fell & put glass ALLLLL over the floor'.  Jake's not sure how that happened though.   I have a guess...

 He also made me some play doh ice cream.  When I inquired if he should have that playing with it on the carpet he said, 'what color ice cream do you want?  Purple & yellow?'  There's the answer...

Alicia rescued me got ready & we went out for dinner & conversation.   She appreciates my obsession need to be early but we got stuck in traffic near the Yum Center.  We saw some people holding a sign that said, "Parking $10" a few streets from Yum & we said, - 'oh yea, this is us-we don't care.'  We trekked it a couple of blocks in the slush on the streets & made it inside with plenty of time to spare.  

 Dustin Lynch & Little Big Town performed first.  I don't know Dustin Lynch's music but he was ok.  I know a few Little Big Town songs & they were good.   They did make me mad because they sang a Christmas song.  Really?  Play us some Pontoon & get on with it...

Alicia graciously took the blame for that because she's the one that drug me to a concert in December...

 Right before LBT finished we headed to the bathroom & to grab a drink so we would be back in our seats promptly ready for Keith Urban to start.  While we were walking I noticed something on Alicia's dress...

 UHM - they left the security tag thingie on her dress.  We got a serious laugh out of that!

 Ok-so ya'll know I've been to a lot of concerts over the years.  And this one was like no other.  You know how they normally take the lights down & everyone starts to go ape shit bonkers & then there's music & hype & BOOM there's the artist grappling down from the ceiling or something?  Nu uh, not Keith Urban.  The lights were on, we were talking paying attention & I heard someone shout, "There he is!" & seriously - he just walked out on stage.  No pomp, no circumstance.  He walked out, waved, picked up his guitar & we were off!!!!  

He had this screen thingie behind him that was 5 screens but they were all separated.  Alicia & I were mesmerized by it.  Like the whole night we kept saying, 'Man - that screen thing is SO cool!"  (Maybe we don't get out enough?!) It was unlike anything I've seen.  There were five 9,000 ft tall Keith Urban's!  YES,  please!

 It would split the band up...

 or show his pretty face over all 5.

He sang a song he wrote for his wife...you know who SHE is, right?  Nicole Kidman - perhaps you've heard of her?  When he introduced the song he told us it was 'extra special' because the woman he wrote it for was there standing at the side of the stage.  Nicole Kidman was at the Yum Center, ya'll! They didn't show her on camera or bring her on stage though...we were pretty pissed about that.

 LBT came out to sing with him & they were all on the screens.  (Told you - obsessed!)  I REALLY liked how he brought his opening acts back to sing with him.  That was a cool touch.  I've seen artists bring them back to sing like a duet they've done together but not just some random song.

 I'm telling you - the screens made the night.

 Dustin Lynch came back out & sang "Kiss the Girl" with him.

 There was a stage set up in the back where we were.  I knew from the Taylor Swift concert what that meant.  He did an incredible job of connecting with the audience.  He literally walked through the crowd to get to the back stage.  Can't tell who he is?  Yea-he was swarmed with people!

 People were grabbing him, taking selfies & hugging him - it was awesome.  A gal I know on Facebook was there & she posted this pic - he signed her freakin' phone case!  How cool is that?  I told you he connected with the audience!  

We got to see him up close & personal for a few songs.  Then he sang White Christmas.  SIGH.  I would take away brownie points for that - but he had so much other cool that stuff he redeemed himself...

 I do love me some confetti!

 So if you know anything about Keith Urban he is an AMAZING guitar player.  If he sang 30 songs - he changed guitars 30 times.  NO LIE.  After every song he got a new one.  Towards the end he played one with a camera on the end.  You guessed it-they showed it on the 5 big screens!  SCORE!   You could see his fingers going like crazy. 

 During the encore, he walked out in the crowd again & this time he went & performed a song IN THE AUDIENCE.  He walked down through the floor & went up through the lower level & stood there & sang.  People were going crazy!  He gave his guitar to some chick too!  

Did I mention how freaking cool these screens were?   

 Such a fun night of talking, laughing, singing,  dancing & me pouting about the Christmas songs!  Alicia even learned a new iPhone trick when Keith told us all to turn on the flashlight to our phones & she tried to use her Flashlight app.  I said, "Get out of that."  She kept trying to hit the button to turn it on.  I said maybe 3-4 times, 'Get OUT of that.'  When she got tired of hearing me say that she let me show her how to scroll up from the bottom to turn on the flashlight.  She's lucky she has me...

 The next winter series tour stop is B-rad & I going to Luke Bryan in January.  Alicia REALLY wants to go but it was sold out almost before tickets went on sale to the public (I had pre-sale codes).   She's decided to work on B-rad to see if she can steal get him to graciously give her his ticket.  The texting offensive started last night....next is an all out assault on Facebook... 

I don't think it's gonna work out for her - HE'S the one that wants to see Luke Bryan...I just wanna watch him dance (Luke, not B-rad...)