Wow, wow, wow!  A night with Keith Urban is an awesome experience and something I will never forget.  My cousin Katie was my guest for the evening and she was so excited that we were getting a meet-n-greet, actually two meet-n-greets.  We got in line with our special passes to meet Jake Owen and get our picture taken with him.  We were talking and laughing having a great time as the line slowly moved forward.  Then I noticed a second line formed next to us and all the people in that line were wearing passes to meet Keith Urban, so I kept an eye on that line to watch how quickly it was moving.  After about 5 minutes that line quickly started moving through some doors to get backstage.  Well I knew if we were not in that line being escorted with the group, that we were not going to get backstage.  So I grabbed Katie and we got into the other line as I told her unfortunately we’d miss Jake Owen in order to meet Keith Urban.  That’s when an angel appeared who noticed my dilemma and overheard our conversation.  He stepped back from the Keith Urban line, called out to Holly who happened to be a backstage connection and he quickly explained our situation to her.  She said we’d have time to meet both, and that she would gladly escort us backstage once we met Jake Owen.  How awesome is that!  So we got back in line to meet Jake Owen and that we did.  He gave us each a wonderful hug and we got our picture taken with him.  What a handsome and very nice man!  After that we waited by the backstage entrance watching closely for Holly to return and retrieve us, which she did.  Once back, we still had plenty of time before our turn to meet Keith Urban.  But let me tell you, this was a meet-n-greet like no other.  We were told that we would meet Keith in groups of 5, 6 or 7 people.  This was the first time I’ve experienced such, but I understood because there were so many people getting this amazing opportunity.  If we went in only groups of two it would take too much time and not near as many people could have met him.

 Now, once we got into “the room” it was like WOW.  As I scoped the scene I saw a small stage to the right with two large armchairs each with a microphone in front of it.  Then several rows of chairs and stools, as if space for an audience.  As I looked left I saw some small tables, and beyond the tables was a long buffet of food.  Oh yah – this was a first.  My cousin slipped out of line and made us each a plate of goodness; fruit on a stick, a wonderful frittata bread sandwich, chips, chicken salad, and a cherry pie/torte for dessert.  Yes, it was all very good and just perfect because we were hungry.  We munched a little and then it was our turn to go beyond the curtain to get closer to Keith Urban, so we set our plates down on a table and made our way inside with our group of 4 other people.  We were called into the next room where the man himself was waiting for us.  We all shook his hand (me and Katie received a hug) and began to find a spot for our group picture.  Keith Urban really was very nice in that short time we met him.   Once our picture was taken we headed back out to “the room” and we finished our food.  People were just hanging around and talking, it was very casual yet upscale and super cool.  Next thing I know Karen is being introduced to come up with Keith Urban for a special intimate backstage interview, and we were all there to experience it.  Keith Urban was so real and down to earth it was really neat.  Karen looked so comfortable and talked with him as if they were old friends.  Several people in the audience had a chance to ask Keith a question also.  We were not allowed to take any pictures or video during this backstage experience so you’ll just have to use your imagination to picture what this was like.  It was absolutely amazing!  It was very special.

Alright so our intimate time with Keith Urban was over so we headed out to find our seats and rocked out with Jake Owen who had already taken the stage.  Jake Owen is a powerful singer who has a great amount of awesome songs and really knows how to capture his audience.  We had the pleasure of enjoying “Settin The World On Fire”, “Heaven”, “Alone With You”, and “Don’t Think I Can’t Love You”.  The crowd was pumped up and having fun.  Jake Owen really got us going with his current radio hit “Barefoot Bluejean Night”.  Everyone was dancing and singing along.  Jake Owen capped his performance off with “8 Second Ride”.  As much as we were ready for more, it was a perfect time for intermission; because once Keith Urban hit the stage he did not stop or slow down for over 2 hours!

If you’re looking for a long, full night of non-stop entertainment then a Keith Urban concert is what you want.  He has been performing for such a long time and has so many wonderful songs, it’s easy to see how 2 ½ hours can go by like the blink of an eye.  Keith Urban came on stage wearing a Brewers jersey and the crowd went wild.  He acknowledged that a game was taking place and he understood how excited and supportive we are for the Brewers.  He rocked us with “Put You In A Song”, “As Days Go By”, “I Told You So”, and “Raining On Sunday”.  What an amazing line-up of tremendous music.  Now I’ve experienced various levels of audience interaction at concerts and I must say that Keith Urban takes the cake.  He took time to look out and actually read back all the signs that he could see, thanking each person for making it.  There was one sign high up that he couldn’t read, so he grabbed a huge spotlight and shone it up at the sign to get a better look.  It still couldn’t be read, but what an amazing effort on Keith’s part and what a memorable moment for that person.  One sign read ‘Can I have your autograph’.  Well, Keith Urban being the cool person he is called her up on stage to give her that autograph she asked for.  She also received a hug from him while up there.  Now how sweet is that!

Some more amazing songs we heard were “Stupid Boy”, “Memories Of Us”, “Baby I’m In”, and “Take Your Memories”.  Of course he pleased us with “Long Hot Summer”, but sprang another surprise on us.  Holding up a sign isn’t the only way for a chance to get up on stage with Keith Urban.  He is so interactive and really takes time to make sure people get the best experience possible.  This is the time that 3 extremely lucky people were chosen by Keith himself to come on stage and sing with him.  I think we all have daydreams of something like this happening, yet it’s not often it does.  At a Keith Urban concert there is tremendous potential for something as such to take place.  He also took the time to expand out into the audience and sing from small stages several times.  Regardless of where your seat was, you had an awesome view and held possibility of being front row when he came out to the middle. You are also given a chance to see him up close as he made his way through the audience, at which he shook hands and gave high-fives along the way.  The energy in the Bradley Center was insane as we jammed to “Georgia Woods”, “Summer Comes Around”, Sweet Thing”, “I Wanna Kiss A Girl”, “Without You” and “Love Somebody Like You.   It seemed as though we had a night of endless surprises.  As if all that took place wasn’t enough, we had the extreme opportunity to enjoy Eric Church on stage with Keith Urban!  Who would have ever imaged this amazing bonus?  I was so surprised and excited that I almost forgot to snap some pictures.  What a moment enjoying these extremely talented artists together rockin the stage.  Yes, Keith Urban is a tremendous entertainer who gives you a show full of non-stop energy and surprises.  I would recommend a night out with Keith Urban to anybody. You just might be the lucky person way in the back that he decides to give a guitar to, because that also happened that night.