What They Said...

This weekend Mr and MrsGiggles, Annie and myself attended a Keith Urban concert (number 3, thank you very much) (the main event of the weekend). It was so much fun....Here's what the Pioneer Press had to say.

Urban turns country tunes into compelling mix
BY ROSS RAIHALA Pioneer Press
While he's been successfully marketed as a country act, Keith Urban proved to be anything but during his dynamic Saturday night gig in front of 13,170 screaming fans at the Xcel Energy Center.

The down-under cowboy — who was born in New Zealand and raised in Australia — offered up an evening of amiable sing-alongs that had far more to do with rock and mainstream pop than country.

To wit, Urban indulged in an extended, bluesy guitar solo during "You Won." He did the same on "Raining on Sunday," a terrific ballad that faintly echoed Duran Duran's "Ordinary World."

To open "You Look Good in My Shirt," his band tore through the riff from Aerosmith's "Walk this Way." And in the middle of "Homespun Love" — a number he introduced as his "white-trash, trailer-park love song" after being hoisted above the audience on a cable and dropped off on a small second stage — Urban launched into a snippet of Gary Glitter's "Rock and Roll Part Two" and, more surprisingly, the White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army."

Country stars flirting with rock is hardly new, but Urban does so with what feels like genuine passion. Unlike many of country's hat acts, Urban can actually play the guitar that's strapped across his chest. He's got a rich, soulful voice, too, and writes (or co-writes) much of his material.

For once, the guy's rangy good looks — think the rebellious drifter on a daytime soap opera or a hunky carpenter on a home-improvement show — are just a nice bonus, not a means to an end.

Of course, Urban's sex appeal has something to do with his current role as a Gap pitchman and his (allegedly) blossoming romance with Nicole Kidman. It also explains Urban's heavily female fan base, which was well represented at the X.

Still, Urban's a compelling presence who plays up his humble and human side, with just a hint of naughtiness. Responding to one of the many banners displayed by audience members, he called up a pair of teenage twins and gave them each what they claimed was their first kiss. At another point, he invited a young woman from the audience and cutely curled up with her on the floor as he crooned.

At the end of his set, Urban indulged in a chorus from U2's "Beautiful Day." The anthem-like song that followed, "Somebody Like You," suggested it's only a matter of time until Urban is right up alongside U2 on rock radio.

Ross Raihala can be reached at rraihala@pioneerpress.com.