I had the good fortune to catch the Keith Urban "Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy World Tour" when it rolled through Chicago.  I was also fortunate enough to be invited to attend the Keith Urban Backstage Experience.  And it truly was an experience to remember.

Like many backstage events there was a "meet and greet" and photo session with Keith.  The setting was like an intimate little cabaret, with a bit of beverage refreshment and snacks and a preview of "The Making of The Love, Pain & the Whole Crazy World Tour," video. (Which was quite good with an ample dose of humor.)  Following the video, Keith treated us to a song done on his acoustic guitar.  He mused about just doing the whole show there for us but remembered the arena full of thousands of fans and decided the other 23 numbers needed to be performed on stage. 
(Everyone got a chuckle out of that.)

Following the song, Keith entertained a short question and answer session, which also proved to be threaded with humor and charm.
    
After meeting Keith Urban  all you can say is "what a great guy!"  Personable, friendly, and charismatic.  He's got a great sense of humor and displays it readily in conversation or in interviews.  The coolest thing about Keith is that he also displays the kind of humility that says, "I know I'm here because of my fans." 

Now, the "Keith Urban Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy World Tour" concert: Nearly 2 hours of music!

The band: Five super talented guitarists who could kick it up with a number of stringed instruments (guitar, bass, mandolin, and banjo) and keyboards, and of course the multi-talented drummer (who is also the band's musical director).

And how was the concert?
Wow, it was seriously "off-the-hook" what a high-energy up-beat and tremendous show!  Extremely well done and it definitely got the house all rowdy and good stuff like that. 

Steve Azar, singer songwriter from Greenville, Mississippi

Talk about good fortune! Following a Steve Azar appearance in Chicago’s Grant Park (During the ‘Taste of Chicago’ festival) I was invited to ‘hang out’ for a few hours with Steve and his band in their tour bus.

First I need to say, the outdoor performance was nothing short of outstanding! Even in the festival setting with crowds of mixed musical interests Steve Azar knows how to light-up an audience. (But then what’s not to like with great country rock?) His hot licks on the guitar and poignant lyrics seem to have universal appeal, and just like any other Steve Azar concert, many fans we’re on their feet moving to the beat!

Getting to know Steve Azar and hanging out with the band however, was the high point for me. Steve is an incredibly gracious host, offing drinks, ordering pizzas and in general making sure everyone was comfortable. He’s also a very polite guy, everything was "yes sir, no sir," and he was genuinely interested in our conversation.

What I really noticed and admired most about Steve Azar, is that he really cares about his fans, and knows that he is where he is ‘because of’ his fans. Several times during our afternoon, Steve excused himself to step outside of the tour bus to meet the fans who had gathered outside, to talk with them and sign autographs.

The guys in the band? Well like Steve, they’re salt of the earth, good people. Now I’m quite sure that like most bands, there are issues from time to time, especially living in such tight quarters on that bus.

Now as you might imagine, the tour bus was indeed like a rolling luxury yacht, beautifully appointed, with just about every entertainment gadget you can imagine, but then if it’s your home away from home for a dozen or more weeks, I guess it can start to seem pretty claustrophobic. But still, it was quite easy to see why they are all together, and their performances are top notch.

Many people may not know this but, Steve Azar recently made history (in American Country Rock music) by being the first ever to combine an eastern language influence with country rock. His duet with the beautiful singer/actress Namrata Singh Gujral has garnered much attention and praise in the country music industry.
 

The World's Greatest Bar Band
George Thorogood and the Destroyers
 

A lot of folks don't know this but, George is also an avid life-long baseball fan and played minor league baseball in the 1970's.  George has also had the rare honor of singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" at Wrigley Field in Chicago.

Articles by: Dr. Von Zuko 2007©