Keith Urban is more than 30 years into an illustrious, hit-filled career, a big reason why the New Zealand-born country music megastar is such a natural choice for a Las Vegas Strip residency. But even this veteran performer was caught off-guard by the flexibility and opportunity of such a show, which he first launched in 2019 at the then-newly renovated Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
“I was pleasantly surprised how every night in Vegas is unique and how much I can take advantage of the epic nature of what you can do in those rooms, as well as the intimate nature of what those rooms can be,” Urban tells the Weekly.
Keith Urban
Now he’s joining the ranks of Cher, Shania Twain, Usher and other artists who have returned for a second residency at a different venue. Urban, who opens at Zappos Theater at the Planet Hollywood Resort on March 3, says he’s looking forward to a long, exciting, freedom-filled run at the energetic center-Strip venue. And you might catch him hanging out Downtown, too.
How different does it feel to launch this Zappos show versus your first residency at the Colosseum? It feels like a fresh beginning. We had a blast over at the Colosseum, and really, I was shocked at how much I enjoyed doing a residency. I think I had a different idea of what it might be like, kind of worried it would be playing the same room, the same show, night after night. I wasn’t chomping at the bit to get into something like that, but it turned out to be different every night.
So the residency gave you more freedom than you anticipated? Absolutely. You can design a stage that doesn’t have to be packed up and traveled, and that really opens up possibilities. You don’t have to think about logistics.
Zappos Theater definitely has a party-ready atmosphere, which we’ve seen at other residencies there. Totally. It feels like a room built for more spontaneous electricity. Look, I grew up playing in clubs and pubs, places with a concrete floor where everybody was packed in like sardines. It just creates a vibe, and that’s the foundation for what I do. I’ve been fortunate to work with great production and design people that can add more dimension to that, but there’s no doubt that the spirit of what I do was born in those clubs.
The only thing I think will be consistent [at this new residency] is that spirit that always happens at our shows. We’re looking for new ways to interact with the audience, and how we go about doing that is very different from anything I’ve done before. The look of the stage, the flow and some of the musical moments are also things I haven’t done before.
You dropped some new singles last year and you’re finishing a new album this year. Will Vegas get some of those new sounds, and will the album follow the storytelling themes of those singles? Vegas is a great opportunity to put in those new songs, and mix them in with some O.G. kind of songs that people want to hear. Being able to blend things together in one show, I feel very lucky.
I think [the album] is as much a mix as my music always is. It’s impossible for me to capture what I do on any one album, which is why I love playing live so much, because it gives new context. When we get onstage, the songs take on a whole new life, and … you can tell they’re very alive, as opposed to a perfect re-creation of what’s on the album.
Do you think you’ll have the chance to further explore Las Vegas this time around? I’m just psyched to come back and be spending more time in Vegas. It’s an ever-changing city and just evolving all the time. I love the Arts District Downtown. Billy Gibbons [from ZZ Top] hipped me to this place SoulBelly BBQ, and it’s a great spot.
If you spend too much time there, they’ll pull you up onstage and make you play a song. I would do it in a heartbeat.
KEITH URBAN March 3-4, 8, 10-11, 15, 17-18, 8 p.m., $79-$356. Zappos Theater, ticketmaster.com.
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