Keith Urban has to be one of the loudest Mellencamp fans in modern music. He has mentioned in numerous interviews over the years the inspiration he has gotten from John's music. There is a story he has told about what a crucial moment seeing the Lonesome Jubilee tour was in his native Australia to show him a blue print of playing commercial rootsy/country music.
What is surprising is that, as far as I am aware, he had never covered John's music on stage. That changed last week at the Indianapolis State Fair when he performed Jack & Diane in an encore and was joined by American Idol winner Kris Allen.
Listen to that crowd!
Keith Urban gives fans a sweet show at Indiana State Fair
By David Lindquist - Indianapolis Star
Posted: August 15, 2010
Despite being at the end of the promotional cycle for his 2009 album "Defying Gravity" and being armed with no new music to hype, Keith Urban made plenty of memories Saturday night at the State Fair.
The show belonged to his audience (estimated at 10,000), the country music star said at the outset.
A rendition of John Mellencamp's "Jack & Diane" -- with a mostly capable assist from supporting act Kris Allen -- provided one unexpected wrinkle.
No modern musician surpasses Urban in terms of giving credit to Mellencamp as an influence, and the Australian clearly enjoyed playing "Jack & Diane" for a Hoosier crowd.
Urban also shared news that his wife, Nicole Kidman, was watching the concert from the side of the stage.
With Justin Bieber (who attended Friday's Drake concert) and Kidman as guests on consecutive days, the fair must be the place to be.
Urban, meanwhile, always looks for ways to connect with fans, and Saturday's dash to sing a song at the bottom of the bleachers improved a similar stunt from his 2009 visit to the fair: He stood on a higher platform, and he played a bigger hit, "You Look Good in My Shirt."
Before the show, a large video screen displayed fan text messages, including one that hailed the concert as a great date night.
Without making gender-based generalizations, an Urban performance does offer enough to thrill both parties in a relationship.
One half of a duo might swoon to melodic confections such as "Kiss a Girl" and "Sweet Thing," while the other half might spend the drive home raving about Urban's guitar prowess.
His picking lived up to its growing reputation Saturday, when a piercing yet creamy guitar tone defined an extended solo at the conclusion of "Stupid Boy."
Speedy riffing brought "Where the Blacktop Ends" to a climax, while Urban's blues-rock skills on "'Til Summer Comes Around" legitimately earned comparisons to Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
