With only four musicians backing Urban this time around, the sound is more natural and lean. There are fewer places for the band to hide and as a result, they upped their games considerably. Crowd sing-a-longs on "I Told You So", "Making Memories of Us", "Days Go By", "Sweet Thing" and "Someone Like You" were as blissful as I've ever seen while the band evoked ecstasies and agonies as they wrung each and every note from their instruments. "Raining On Sunday" was swampy with Urban's bluesy-echo guitar taking center stage. The mini-stage in the middle of the floor found Urban performing the mesmerizing and stern "You'll Think of Me" and a pair of buoyant numbers, "I'm In" and the foot stomping boogie of "Jeans On". The latter two were nice surprises as they surpassed their album counterparts by leaps and bounds as the band carried the songs with vociferous performances. The stage with a circular video screen and a roller coaster lighting rig was minimal but provided enough of eye candy to appeal to those in the cheap seats.

I have a confession I must make; Defying Gravity was a record I never warmed to. However, after being road tested for the last two years, each song felt more vibrant and thrilling. The same could be said for the songs off of Get Closer a strong return to form record that is a mere eight songs (with deluxe editions housing more songs) but Urban made a record the old school way picking the best of his bunch and it was a wise decision. Get Closer is an affectionate and alluring record finding Urban at the peak of his powers. "You Gonna Fly" was anchored by Urban's penetrating vocal. Watching him on stage, you couldn't help but be swept up in the assurance of his performance. Urban's guitar at the conclusion of "Georgia Woods" gives his fret work on "Stupid Boy" a run for its money. Instead of being confined by radio or album length Urban lets his freak fly in concert truly showcasing the immense talent within whereas on the record, the solo faded out, at the Allstate Arena the song became the mouth gaping moment of the night. His prowess on the guitar is nothing to dismiss or sneer at. Despite splitting his time between songwriting, performing and singing, he's still one of the most watchable and emotionally gutting guitar players on the planet. The extraordinary "Without You" with a lamenting guitar and banjo is highly affecting without being calculating, a rarity in the music world. The infliction of Urban's voice elevates the song and his plucks his acoustic and sings from the heart. The lyrics aren't poetry at their best, but Urban proves that with enough feeling you can will something to greatness. As one watched Urban's eyes closed with concentration you felt he was wrangling with something inside to pull out this liberating vocal. "Who Wouldn't Want To Be Me" was a performance that transcended Urban's sex symbol status as he summons the Americana music tradition while injecting it with the arena rock he grew up loving. From Muddy Waters to Johnny Cash to John Mellencamp, Urban has picked up the flag and styled the folk-rock-blues template into a unique set of anthems that have the capacity to transcend. It may not be trendy but his open-road idealism is so enthralling it offers inner contentment and perspective you can't find elsewhere.

The show was full of snippets of several covers which led into songs and served as band member introductions including Paul McCartney's "Silly Love Songs", U2's "With or Without You", AC/DC's "It's A Long Way To The Top" and Tom Petty's "American Girl". The encore featured opener Jake Owen joining Urban on a celebrated performance of "Jack and Diane". Urban brought fans onto the stage where they sung "Kiss a Girl" facing off against one another and at another portion he brought a few fans on stage to chat and take pictures (as the band played Def Leppard's "Photograph" in he background). His personality reverberated off the stage like the sweet boy next door. Despite being married to an actress and playing arenas, you truly sense he has a pulse on his fans, their needs and their dreams, desires and nightmares. Urban's utmost strength isn't as a songwriter, guitarist or even singer but all around performer. It's easy to understand why Urban doesn't appeal to everyone, his records are extremely well crafted albums made for radio. That being in said, in concert his songs take on another life entirely. When you see him wail for two or three minutes on a guitar solo you become conscious it's his way of letting go of his desperation and despair. When he hits that final note and the crowd wails in approval, revelation is uncovered. I've said it before and will say it again; he's in desperate need of an official live record, culled from multiple tours, to show the world what he is made of. No overdubs, no fancy cover, it should house his supreme moments where a three minute country-pop song becomes a sprawling work of art in its comprehensive arrangement. It's easy to distract people from the outside world, but it takes a great artist to make them feel better not just for a few hours, but every second after the house lights go on. Urban's concerts combine soulful melodies, dirt road rockers and lyrics that are detours for our soul.

The entire show was filled with so many high points it's almost unfeasible to pinpoint specific songs, but the trio of songs co-written by Richard Marx blazed with fiery ardor and stunning passion. "Long Hot Summer", his latest single, is one of those perfect songs that have the potential to appeal to anyone. It evokes the siege of summer heat and the pining of young lust. The band's performance was roaring as it was on "Don't Mean Nothing" which featured hometown boy Richard Marx. Marx and Urban struck up a friendship seven years ago when they co-wrote "Better Life" together. They've collaborated often since and Marx joined him in Chicago for a pair of songs. "Don't Mean Nothing" was an unexpected surprise, especially for how primal and masterful the performance was. I've seen Marx numerous times over the year and Urban's band may have possibly delivered the best performance of this song as Marx delivered the lead vocal flawlessly. It was more than a note-for-note imitation with the rhythm driving the song and some wicked slide guitar work as well, not to mention Urban complimenting Marx's voice. The song celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary next year and it's as heady and timely as ever. The nearly thirty song set came to a close with "Better Life" which featured Urban and Marx trading off vocals with one another in a moment of such perfect joyfulness that the 12,000 in attendance couldn't help but stand on their seats and sing along to every word. Keith Urban's songs (and more specifically his concerts) offer irrefutable and earnest narratives of life that encourage the listener to step outside of themselves and take a deep look within. You will find yourself emotionally wrung out by the end of Urban's performances because of his ability to place his own emotions on the line. Those fortunate to witness what I did at the Allstate Arena outside of Chicago will forever subscribe to Keith Urban's career for the opportunity to listen to and witness music that isn't merely a diversion but can guide you towards the light�and a better life.


Anthony Kuzminski is a Chicago based writer and Special Features Editor for the antiMusic Network. His daily writings can be read at The Screen Door. He can be contacted at thescreendoor AT gmail DOT com and can be followed on Twitter