Keith Urban Reveals The Best Gig He’s Been To

11 September 2024 | 3:50 pm | Mary VarvarisDan Cribb

"They played at a club in Vegas, and it was f*cking amazing," Urban recalled to The Music.

Keith Urban

Keith Urban (Credit: Russ Harrington)

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Last week, The Music caught up with Keith Urban for an upcoming feature while he was down under for surprise shows in Sydney and Brisbane.

Catching up with the country music legend the night after he performed at Lefty’s Music Hall (last Thursday), which is likely already many fans’ all-time favourite Keith Urban show, The Music asked about his – and the resulting answer didn’t disappoint.

“I would say, for me, probably AC/DC in Vegas a few years ago,” Urban shared, adding that the show happened “right before” singer Brian Johnson went on hiatus due to needing help with his hearing.

“They played at a club in Vegas, and it was fucking amazing. And I'd never seen them live. And it's the ultimate pub band. It really is the ultimate Aussie rock pub band. And fuck… that was just a sonic assault of the tightest fucking band with bulletproof songs. Amazing.”

In the midst of the conversation about the country’s greatest pub rock band, Urban added that he misses going to see pub rock bands.

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“Pub bands back in the day in Brissie were everywhere,” he said. “When I was growing up, you'd see pub bands in every venue. I just miss that. It doesn't even matter about the band. Just a bunch of dudes with a loud PA and sticky carpet on the floor, and just the assault coming at you. That is an amazing feeling and memory for me.”

Keep an eye on The Music for an upcoming deep-dive chat with Keith Urban about his new albumHigh, and forthcoming Australian tour.

Keith Urban recently announced that he’ll be properly returning to Australia in August 2025 for a massive run of arena shows in support of High. For the tour, he’ll be joined by special guest Chase Matthew, who will perform his first-ever Australian shows.

In June, Urban said that High was born out of a “prior record,” revealing that he scrapped a previous project he found “musically limiting”.

Discussing the album, Urban explained, “When I’m writing a song, or when I’m in the studio recording it, or even when it’s coming to life on the stage, it’s the same feeling of being ‘in the flow.’ It’s timeless, weightless - and I feel euphoric - I feel HIGH.”

“What makes you ‘high’ can mean whatever you want it to mean. It might be physical, spiritual, herbal, meditative, chemical or musical, but it’s definitely a place of utopia.”

You can pre-order/pre-save the album here.