Keith Urban, on that time (last fall) he celebrated his birthday in Charlotte
Of all the concerts Keith Urban has been a part of in Charlotte — out of at least a dozen over two-plus decades — it’s fair to argue that the one both he, and we, will remember most saw him perform only three songs.
In front of 82,000 people. Without a band. Just him, and an acoustic guitar, plus cameos by friend Eric Church and wife Nicole Kidman.
This was on Oct. 26 of last year, when Church and fellow North Carolina native Luke Combs teamed up to host a (mostly) country-music extravaganza at Bank of America Stadium that served as a giant fundraiser for Western NC residents who suffered losses related to Hurricane Helene.
In addition to Urban, the all-star supporting cast included Billy Strings, Sheryl Crow, James Taylor and Bailey Zimmerman.
Oh, and did we mention Concert for Carolina just so happened to fall on Urban’s birthday?
We spoke with Urban last week — ahead of “High and Alive World Tour” stops in Charlotte (Friday) and Raleigh (Saturday) — about his decision to celebrate turning 57 in Charlotte; what it was like to go solo in a giant stadium; and whether or not he considers himself one of the greatest living guitarists in country music.
The conversation (edited for clarity and brevity) starts, simply, with the four-time Grammy Award winner saying, “It’s Keith. How are you?”
Q. I love how — and I don’t know, there may be someone else on this call, but — I love how you country guys still, after all these years, just pick up the phone and call. Last week, I interviewed Zach Galifianakis for a movie, and there were, like, four people monitoring the call.
(Laughing.) It’s just you and me right now. That’s it. It’s just us on this call. Me and you.
Q. Well, it’s refreshing. And so was Concert for Carolina. It was one of the best concerts I’ve seen in years.
It was an amazing night. I mean, you talk about country artists being the kind of people that just make direct calls for interviews, and there isn’t a bunch of people (monitoring) — that’s all consistent with the one through line I think delineates what country is about: community. That’s the thing that’s always defined country. The music changes, but the community spirit doesn’t. You see it in the simplicity of this call, and you saw it that night up in the Concert for Carolina — everybody rallying together to help one another. It’s not rocket science.
Q. When Eric introduced you, he described you as “one of the guys that I’ve always been able to call and count on, and even before I can ask the question, he just says, ‘Yes, and whose car are we taking?’” How long have you guys known each other?
Oh, gosh, I mean, really, since he got signed (to Capitol Records Nashville in 2006). I was already at the label and ... I just loved his artistry. I could tell he was making records that didn’t sound like other people.
It really felt like it took him maybe two, three records with (producer) Jay Joyce to sort of harness that sound. But once he got it, it was pure Eric Church, and he hasn’t deviated off that since. He’s got his own road. And then as a person, I just love his musicality — his crazy, wacky way of thinking sometimes really appeals to me. He’s one of the great writers. He truly is. In a town full of incredible songwriters, he’s right amongst ’em.
Q. On that night, in that moment, he made it sound so easy — like he just called and you said yes. But when you say that the concert was going to happen on your birthday. I mean, that had to have been a little bit of a hard decision. Was it not?
Well, it wasn’t gonna be on that date originally. He called me and said, “Hey, we’re trying to put this thing together. We got a couple of date options.” I said, “Yeah, I’m in.” You know, “No problem. Let’s do it.” But October 26th wasn’t mentioned in that call. Then he called me back, and he said, “We’re definitely doing it on the 26th.”
I went, “Oh. Okay. That’s my birthday, so let me make sure that the family didn’t have anything planned for me.” And he went, “Oh, man! That’s your birthday? Don’t worry about it.” I went, “No, no, no, no! I want to do it. But I don’t want to blow any surprise plans that the family’s got for me — so let me just check.” So I said to Nic, “You know, I’d really, really like to do this concert.” She goes, “Well, it’s your birthday. Whatever you want to do, we’re gonna do.” So, off we went.
(On the day of the show) I had a really nice day at home, then we came in (to Charlotte) in the late afternoon/early evening. I watched everybody play, and it was great, ’cause, I mean, I know everybody. Obviously, I know Eric and I know Luke, and I know James. I’ve known James Taylor a long time — maybe 20-plus years. So it was just also a great chance to catch up with people I hadn’t seen in a while.
But yeah, we were just glad to be able to do our little part, you know? It was really horrific thing that happened to so many families, and if we could help in any way, I was grateful.
Q. In addition to duetting with Eric on “Raise ’Em Up,” you performed “Blue Ain’t Your Color” and “Wasted Time,” a one-two combo you frequently close shows with. I’m always curious about how artists design setlists. I imagine deciding on a “last song” is as important, if not more so, than any other choice. What it is about “Wasted Time” that makes it a great one for you to lean on as a closer?
I like the energy of it, and I like the sentiment. I mean, that song is really about recognizing that what isn’t wasted time. So many of the things that we do in our life that people say, “Hey, you’re just wasting your time” — you’re like, “I’m actually not. I’m living right now. I’m really living.” And what I get to do for a living — looking out at people every night who are singing along to every song — it’s so euphoric. And “Wasted Time” just feels like the perfect sentiment to end a night with, ’cause, yes, it’s just a concert; but it’s also a concert. It means nothing and it means everything, all in equal parts. So I love that opportunity to bring that to people.
Q. What was it like to be able to do those songs the way you did them here — by yourself, in a stadium setting?
I feel so grateful that I got to spend so many years playing in clubs before I had any kind of traction or momentum as an artist. I mean, I must have spent a decade playing in bars and clubs four hours a night, and a lot of those situations were just me and my acoustic. So I learned so much about how to grab a crowd with just me and my guitar.
It took a long, long time — years and years and years — to kind of slowly build, and it just gave me a chance to steadily scale up that feeling and that experience. So for me, playing on that stage in that stadium felt no different to playing in a bar to 20 people. It’s just a bigger PA system and bigger lights, and I gotta move around a bit more. But other than that, it didn’t feel that different to me.
I’m just trying to connect. Trying to get everybody to come together and sing. Whether it’s 20 or 20,000, it’s the same thing.
Q. Are you as happy on an acoustic as you are on electric?
That’s a good question. They’re very different things. Being with just an acoustic, I’m gonna play with like a heavier, rhythmic, thumping kind of approach. So it almost feels like there’s a drum machine underneath the acoustic, even though it’s just the acoustic. I have an acoustic that I can really thump, and it gives an amazing kick through the PA systems. But then, an electric gives me a chance to play solos that I can’t do on acoustics. So I love them equally.
Q. When I last spoke to you almost 15 years ago, we talked about your guitar solos — which are a hallmark of your shows — and you said of them: “I just try to respond to the moment. And sometimes the moment seems to have a longer solo. Sometimes it doesn’t feel like it needs it and the solos are shorter. I try just to not be too conscious about those sorts of things, unless it’s what the song is.” I probably should have asked you at the time, but what did you mean by that, “unless it’s what the song is”?
That sounds like it was more in response to a question that probably would have been, “How do you go about doing your solos in the studio?” That’s what that sounds like.
Q. Hmm, I thought we were talking about concerts. But OK, if you think that makes more sense in the context of albums —
They’re similar in some ways. I mean, in regards to being in the studio, how I play a solo in the studio is not too dissimilar. The band will have tracked, and I’ll be sitting there listening to it, then I respond to the track. It’s not premeditated. I don’t approach it with any premeditated idea of what I’m gonna do, and so the same with playing live. A solo might be shorter one night, longer another night.
On the best nights, it’s actually not about trying to do anything. It’s just going with the flow. Getting into the flow state is really the key.
I always use the surfing analogy. Even though I’ve never ridden a surfboard in my life, it’s probably a pretty good analogy, where every night, that song is a wave, and you don’t know how long that wave’s gonna be. It could be short. Could be long. You might be on it for a long time, short time. You might try different things on the wave, or you might just ride with it. That’s really what playing live is, for me.
Q. Is that wave like an internal feeling, or is it a direct response to what you’re hearing from the crowd?
I mean, for me, it’s all based on vibration. Everything is. It’s a vibratory reaction from the band, the music, the audience, the energy — everything is vibrating in a certain way, and I’ve got a guitar in my hands, and I’m gonna respond. It’s like a conversation, almost. A musical conversation. There’s a conversation going on with the audience, and I get to speak with my guitar. And we’ve all been at parties where sometimes you say very little in the conversation, then you say a lot, and it really depends on the environment. I think playing live is the same thing.
What I’ve also found is that the sound of a guitar is always gonna be different from night to night, so the way that that conversation is had will be slightly different. It may be the same conversation, but it’ll be slightly different depending on the night, the energy, all the other stuff.
It’s a real mix of structure and total spontaneity, and it’s all threaded through the whole thing.
Q. Sorry if this is a stupid question, but: Do you consider yourself one of the greatest living guitarists in country music?
Oh, God, no. (Laughing.) Noooo! I mean, I would never think of that. But also, everybody plays so different in the genre. What Brad Paisley does, I can’t do. What I do, he can’t do. What Vince Gill does, neither of us can do. What John Osborne does, none of us can really do. So it’s kind of great, that everybody’s got their own thing.
Q. Well, I wanted to point out a song from your past that was one where you specifically were included on it as a featured artist because of your guitar prowess. And I don’t know how many times that’s happened, where you’ve not sung on a song, but played guitar on it —
Just a few times. Occasionally. Dan + Shay had me play on something. Tim McGraw asked me to play on (2013’s) “Highway Don’t Care” (which also featured vocals from Taylor Swift) —
Q. Yep, that’s the one I’m talking about.
Yeah, it was such an honor to be asked to play on something. (Deciding to do something like that is always based on) whether the song feels like it would be right for me to play on, ’cause there are certain styles that don’t resonate with me and with my musicality. But that one, it’s a great song. And I love that Tim gave me the freedom. They sent me the tracks to my house, I did it at my house, with nobody around, and it was nice to have that freedom, to just react to the track, and then send it back.
It was, “This is what the track made me feel, and if that works great; if it doesn’t, no problem.”
Q. I assume they thought it was great.
Uhh, I think (laughing) Tim was thrilled. They didn’t give me any notes. They took it just like it was, and I was very happy.
That’s a good example of a melodic solo, where (you can hear) the influence of people like Mark Knopfler, David Gilmour, even Brian May — all the cats that have such beautiful, melodic solos. That’s definitely on that same river of where those players are coming from.
Q. In your opinion, can you think of a guitar solo you’d point to as the best you’ve ever put on one of your own records?
I hope that they’re all just suited to that song in that moment, and they’re part of a picture. It would be like asking, “What was your favorite color that you used within one of your paintings?” (Chuckling.) And I’m like, “Uhhh, I don’t know. They were just all part of the painting.
So, off the top of my head, no. I’d like to think I haven’t played it yet. ...
Keith Urban in the Carolinas
Who: The country music star, with opening sets by Chase Matthew, Alana Springsteen (no relation to Bruce), and Karley Scott Collins.
When/where: 7 p.m. Friday, May 30, at PNC Music Pavilion in Charlotte; and 7 p.m. Saturday, May 31, at Coastal Credit Union Music Park in Raleigh.
Tickets: $30 and up; www.livenation.com.
And later this year: The “High and Alive” tour also will feature a show at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C., on Oct. 16.
