Urban delivers blowout performance, highlights personal struggles at Schott
Kelly Oliver-Hornyak
Issue date: 11/8/07 Section: Arts
PrintEmail DoubleClick Any Word Page 1 of 1 The crowd roared as Keith Urban emerged onto the stage adorned in his No. 33 Ohio State football jersey. His enthused greeting was met with a deafening response from a packed Schottenstein Center.

Urban would perform in his football apparel for the remainder of the concert.

The recent media slamming of the country music star's alcohol addiction should have chased him into a corner. Instead, he has taken his public issues and incorporated them into his "Pain, Love and the Whole Crazy Thing" tour.

Thursday night, Urban brought his upbeat, country-rock to the Schottenstein Center. The 2007 tour has been going on since March and includes Gary Allen.

Urban's lyrics reach out to his past drug and alcohol problems, which he can ultimately attribute to his success.

"Don't you know, nobody drinks alone," Urban sings in "Nobody Drinks Alone." "Every demon/Every ghost from your past and every memory you've held back follows you home/Nobody drinks alone."

He performed a handful of songs on various parts of the large T-shaped stage, which allowed almost the entire floor section to be up-close and personal with him. He was constantly taking roses from the fans with his mouth and grabbing the hands of eager members of the crowd.

The energy throughout the arena was toxic. Row upon row of adoring fans grasped one another while swaying to the music and shouting every lyric back to Urban, who shot back a grin and held the microphone to the crowd.

"I want to feel the sunshine/Shining down on me and you," he sang in "Somebody like you." "When you put your arms around me/You let me know there's nothing in this world I can't do."

Clapping and stomping could be heard throughout the packed Schott. Everyone's faces glowed with excitement and the audience seemed to feel a sense of relief from their long work weeks.

Later, Urban would bring up his highly publicized marriage to Australian movie star Nicole Kidman.

"This next song is for my wife. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be where I am today," he said, before breaking into his hit song, "Making Memories of Us."

"And I'm gonna love you/Like nobody loves you/And I'll earn your trust making memories of us."

The crowd, seeming to share in his love, sang along in a somber tone. It was as if fans had been with Urban through all of the hardest times in his life. They understood his admiration for Nicole Kidman.

The concert was a hit, as the crowd would begin to chant, "We're taking shots in the Schott."

Kelly Oliver-Hornyak can be reached at oliver-hornyak.1@osu.edu.