Keith Urban can by now sell out arenas all over the country, but he still loves small clubs and bars. The 56-year-old just did a surprise pop-up show at Club Dada, a small club in Dallas, where he performed “Go Home W U,” his just-released duet with Lainey Wilson, for the first time live.
“I left school at 15 and started playing rowdy clubs just like Dada four hours a night five nights a week,” Urban said after his performance. “I love the hot sweaty energy of a crowd just like that – so packed in there’s barely any room between them and my mic stand.”
“On stage it’s loose, it’s real, and it’s fun as hell cause we’re PLAYING,” he added. “New songs, some throwbacks, and even some random covers. I coulda played all night but…we’ll just have to do some more of these as we shred and hone our way into what’s coming!!!!”
Urban has been vocal about his less-than-promising beginning as a country music singer, which is why he appreciates his massive success even more now.
“If anything, I think I’ve just gotten more clarity on why I love what I get to do,” Urban said (via Country 102.5). “I don’t think it’s changed. My understanding of why I love it has become clearer. I left school at fifteen, playing in cover bands five nights a week, four hours a night in the clubs, and only playing covers for years well into my early 20s.”
“I just wanted to be able to play my own music,” he continued. “I was hoping one day, I could write some songs that the audience would know, so I could be playing my own music, and the audience would sing along like they were singing along with Reba [McEntire] or like they were singing along with [Jimmy Buffett’s] ‘Margaritaville.’ I was hoping that I would do one of my songs, and they would do that.”
Urban teased “Go Home W U” during his performance of “Straight Line” at the CMT Music Awards, The song is part of Urban’s next album, one he can’t wait for fans to hear, which also includes “Straight Line” and “Messed Up As Me.”
“We’ll keep working our way towards a release date later this year, but I’m psyched to get it out,” Urban recently told People. “It’s been a very unique journey putting all these songs together and shaping the record. And in a lot of ways, the record shaped itself. It had an energy and momentum of its own that I just started following. And I can’t put that into any other way, but that’s kind of what happened is that it felt like the record told me where to go and how to make it. It’s wild.”
Urban has yet to announce a 2024 tour, but he did just announce a return to Las Vegas. The New Zealand native will perform ten shows as part of his HIGH in Vegas residency, kicking off on October 4 at Fontainebleau Las Vegas.
Tickets for the general public for HIGH in Vegas will be available beginning on Friday, May 10, with various pre-sale options available as well. Find more information, and all of Urban’s music and upcoming shows at KeithUrban.com.
