Arts & Culture

 Who: Keith Urban
Where: Horseshoe Tavern, 370 Queen St. W.
When: Mon., Jan. 13
Vibe: Backyard BBQ jam session with international superstar
Highlight: When Urban invites two fans up to cover his song Somebody Like You on guitar and vocals — which Urban follows by playing an even better version himself
Rating: NNNNN (out of 5)

AS SOON AS pop-country superstar (and Nicole Kidman’s purse holder) Keith Urban quietly appears on the legendary Horseshoe Tavern stage by himself, grabbing an acoustic guitar about five minutes before the stated 8 pm start time, he makes it clear right away this will be a casual night and one that he is determined to have fun on. In fact, he tells us so.

“Tonight is going to be a jam session,” he says almost mischievously. “We’re going to fool around; we’re going to jam; we’re going to take requests. We’ve got some obscure covers to play tonight.”

A room packed mostly with fans who scored the handful of tickets offered to the public share his commitment to a good time, the ’Shoe crackling with excitement as most of the jammed-in feel lucky to see the artist up close the same day he announces that the next time he’ll be playing in this city is at the massive Budweiser Stage on June 21 in front of about 18,000 more people than tonight.

The confidence, the charisma, the good looks, a smile that can heat a cold room — it’s clear right away that Urban has bucketloads of star power. Wearing a grey T-shirt and jeans, with his hair adorably falling across his face as it will all night, just begging to be brushed aside by all of those who would happily assist, Urban launches into his hit Long Hot Summer solo on acoustic guitar. Mid-song, the band seamlessly slips on stage as the fans sing along, and Urban grabs the electric and tears into the first of what will be a night of lots of guitar shredding.

His sizzling leads truly dazzle all night long in a generous show that runs just over two hours. That such a sweet-seeming fellow can play such nasty-assed, ripping guitar is a spectacular incongruity. The night never feels like a mere promotional event that the star is enduring, phoning in; instead, it feels like the jam-filled good time Urban promised. He explains early that his band lineup has changed a lot recently, with some long-time members moved out (not his words) with new players and “fill-ins” joining him tonight. Unable to find a bass player, the bottom end is handled on keyboards all night by Pete Kuzma while long-time Urban percussionist Terrence Clark moves behind the drum kit with Maggie Baugh magnificently supporting Urban on vocals and guitar as well as mandolin and violin. Baugh nails it singing the Carrie Underwood part on The Fighter, which — since Underwood has defiled herself singing for Trump’s inauguration — will likely be a regular gig for Baugh.

It’s a night packed with hits that fans happily sing along to as well as relatively new tracks from Urban’s recent September 2024 album, High, which are also happily embraced by the euphoric crowd. Urban cheerily stops to chat and read fan posters, signs and notes. He even grabs a cellphone from a stage-front show-goer to Facetime with their stunned college school daughter, whom the singer teases when her declaration that she goes to George Brown barely draws a murmur from the crowd.

“Nobody knows your school,” he chuckles and accuses her of studying “how to not go to the bar.”

As promised, Urban and band deliver a cover, a rocking version of Steve Miller’s The Joker that sees Urban name check the ’Shoe in his revised lyrics. And yes, there is more spectacular shredding on lead from a beaming Urban who sometimes jerks the guitar and squeezes out the notes like wringing an animal’s neck. Later in the night, he’ll slip in some Johnny Cash.

Keeping another promise, when a fan badgers Urban to jam, he challenges him saying, “Can you play? Everyone here will kill you if you can’t.”

Accepting the dare, someone named Angel climbs on stage and is joined by his friend Peter who claims he can sing. A beaming Urban sets Angel up with an electric guitar, grabbing an acoustic for himself, and surrenders the centre-stage mic to Peter. And the two nail it, doing a great version of Urban’s hit Somebody Like You that has the crowd squealing in disbelief as Urban bemusedly plays back-up.

And you know who also does a really good version of Somebody Like You? Keith fucking Urban! As the duo wraps up the song, Urban strides over to Angel and swaps him for the lead, takes centre stage and delivers a stunning version of his song that leaves no doubt who the master is — as if there was ever any question.

And while Angel played some pretty impressive lead on the song, Urban’s searing licks blow away the amateur. Not rudely, just definitively. And Peter is invited by Urban to share the mic for a few harmonies.

The casual night is a steady stream of old and new tracks, most around themes of true love and wanting to be a better partner or sharing empowering thoughts for the women in his tunes, all certain to make him even more desirable to the feverish crowd. Songs like Blue Ain’t Your Color and You’ll Think of Me do the job nicely.

The show wraps with the band embracing for a bow while Talking Heads’ Burning Down the House blares over the ’Shoe sound system and a dish rag limp crowd shuffles out into the night. Contemplating the stunning performance, I’m left to muse that Kidman isn’t the only talented actor in the family household — and I mean it as a compliment. Born in New Zealand, living in Australia and with the charming accent to prove it, Urban transforms in his hook-rich songs, adopting a twangy persona while dropping “ain’ts” and singing of “thangs” being “rawht.” A man who grew up in a land of pubs sings convincingly of roadside bars, John Deeres and Down Home, and no one is complaining.