Keith Urban just kicked off his High and Alive Tour on May 22, and he has revealed the extremely difficult process for how he comes up with the setlist for his shows each night.
According to a press release from his management company, this process is the most difficult for Urban as he plans for his shows.
The “Go Home W U” singer said, “I put a playlist together and Iisten to the songs back-to-back-to-back and just feel the flow from one song into the next — energy-wise, thematically, the key, tempo, everything.”
Imagine in your head what the country music icon is saying.
He essentially goes onto a music streaming service, picks out his own songs that he wants to play and organizes them how he thinks it would sound best.
Then he sits down and listens to the whole playlist, envisioning himself at his own concert.
Urban says, “I spend months and months over setlists tweaking, coming back to it every couple of days, looking at it.”
He even goes as far as taking into account the physical endurance of his crowds. He doesn’t want them to burn themselves out too early.
Urban says he asks himself, “Is the audience gonna be exhausted right about here? This would be a good time for a ballad. This would be a good time to strip it down to an acoustic song and then BOOM right back out of the gate again.”
Urban notes that he does “keep making changes as the tour unfolds,” so if a particular song doesn’t feel right on opening night, it might not return for the rest of the shows.
Urban launched his 2025 High and Alive Tour with a concert at the Wharf Amphitheater in Orange Bach, Ala., on May 22.
His opening night setlist featured a generous mix of his older and newer hits, along with several unexpected covers.
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Gallery Credit: Billy Dukes
Keith Urban’s 15 Best Collaborations, Ranked
Keith Urban is a Swiss army knife when it comes to collaborations. The country star’s smooth vocals elevate a song while his impeccable guitar skills add a burst of energy to any melody.
This Aussie has never shied away from collaboration, even if it means stepping outside of country music. He’s worked with artists like Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley, while also joining forces with stars in pop, like Taylor Swift, Pitbull and Pink.
Here are Keith Urban’s 15 best collaborations, ranked.
