Photo: Getty Images
Keith Urban took over historic Lower Broadway in Downtown Nashville, Tennessee, where he delivered a free pop-up performance to thousands of fans on Thursday night (September 19). Urban played the surprise show shortly before the release of his latest studio album, HIGH.
The newly-debuted project includes “Straight Line,” “Messed Up As Me,” “Go Home W U” featuring Lainey Wilson, and other previously-released songs. Urban performed some of his newest music and career-spanning hits when he took the stage in L.A. on Wednesday (September 18) for his exclusive iHeartCountry Album Release Party. That event also included Q&As with iHeartRadio’s Bobby Bones between performances. Video captured from Ole Red, Blake Shelton's bar along the famous stretch of Nashville honky tonks, offered a glimpse of Urban's surprise concert the following night.
“Life is about contrasts - highs, lows, confidence, insecurity, love found, love lost, clarity, blurry, disciplined, and then the next minute, couldn’t care less. Sexy, warm summers and lonely, cold winters. This album flows with all of these in various ways,” Urban said in a statement when HIGH made its long-awaited debut on Friday (September 20). “Out of all of the things that have changed in my life, one has been a constant. I love making music. The feeling of writing a song that has real magic in it, bringing that song to life in the studio, and then playing it on stage and watching complete strangers sing every word. It’s like walking on the moon (not that I’ve done that YET, but an astronaut hasn’t stood on stage and shredded either so....) My desire is for the ‘flow state,’ and that’s what happened when we started this album HIGH. It just FLOWED and I feel the spirit of the whole album really reflects that. I hope you feel that too.
“To everyone involved with this album: I’m so grateful for each and every one of you. You all brought your mad skills and passion to this and helped me reach for being a better songwriter, producer, and guitarist every step of the way. Amidst the entire process of writing, recording, and creating this album, I never lost sight of the fact that we PLAY music - I PLAY guitar, we PLAY a show, and so we PLAYED and had a blast. That’s the spirit threading all of these songs together!”
- “BLUE SKY” (PRELUDE)
- STRAIGHT LINE
- MESSED UP AS ME
- WILDSIDE
- GO HOME W U (WITH LAINEY WILSON)
- CHUCK TAYLORS
- DAYTONA
- LOVE IS HARD
- HEART LIKE A HOMETOWN
- LAUGHIN’ ALL THE WAY TO THE DRANK
- DODGE IN A SILVERADO
- BREAK THE CHAIN
Urban is one of many artists taking the stage at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Festival, returning to the T-Mobile Arena stage on September 20 and 21 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Other artists in the genre-spanning lineup include Big Sean, Camila Cabello, Doja Cat, Gwen Stefani, Hozier, Thomas Rhett, New Kids on the Block, Paramore, Shaboozey, The Black Crowes, Victoria Monét, and more. Ryan Seacrest will host the two-day festival. Tickets are available to the general public now on AXS.com. Watch this year’s iHeartRadio Music Festival on Hulu at 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET.
Find HIGH on iHeartRadio here.