Keith Urban wasn’t phased by some mid-show comments. The country star recently played a surprise set on the NYC Ferry, and took some playful ribbing from the crowd.
Urban is currently promoting his latest album, a yacht rock LP called Flow State.
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One song he covered on the project was “Just the Two of Us,” and an audience member requested to hear the 1981 tune, which was originally recorded by Grover Washington Jr. and Bill Withers.
“We haven’t done that in a while,” Urban said as he looked at his bandmates. “This might be the second time we’ve done it.”
One man in the crowd wasn’t pleased to hear that.
“Don’t mess it up!” he shouted.
Urban took to teasing well, as he stated with a laugh, “Don’t mess it up? Really? No doubt. It’s a tough crowd, man. I mean, people leave if we don’t play well. So, you know, pressure’s on.”
The woman who requested the song didn’t intend put pressure on Urban, so she assured the singer, “It doesn’t have to be good.”
“You are in luck,” Urban quipped. “Man, have we got a version for you.”
Keith Urban Discusses His Career
Many fans expressed surprise over Urban’s move to yacht rock, and the singer himself admitted that he did not see it coming either.
“It was not expected,” Urban told Lara Spencer ahead of his CMA Fest set. “We were just having fun playing music. Two songs became three, became five, and then over three or four months we ended up making a whole album.”
As for why he decided to pursue the genre, Urban explained, “It’s inclusive. It’s a big exhale. It brings everybody together. We need that right now.”
When it comes to what’s next in his career, Urban is staying open to all possibilities.
“I have no idea. I didn’t expect this,” he said of Flow State during an appearance on Taste of Country Nights. “… I really don’t have a plan with what I’m doing next.”
“Being spontaneous and having fun in the studio is how this record got born,” Urban added. “I’m up for doing more of that, whatever that looks like and sounds like.”
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