Keith Urban Confesses He Doesn’t Like To Have Security, But Why?

Bob Gathany via al.com

With fame comes a price, and typically the price includes footing a bill for security. Country stars are no exception, as most artists keep a security team around them to protect them during concerts and other events. 

If you’ve ever been to a country concert, you know that things can get a little wild sometimes. But it turns out that’s what Keith Urban loves about his job, and it’s also why he actually prefers not to have security with him.

Urban made the shocking confession that he doesn’t like to have security during an interview with The Advocate. He said that instead of hiding behind a security team while walking through the crowd, he’d much rather rough it on his own, just for the thrill of it.

Because it’s much more exciting,” he said. “It’s fraught with anything-could-happen. Someone can grab your hair or put you in an over-passionate hug that becomes a headlock. But it’s real, and the energy is so real.

Even though Urban knows that such an approach can be dangerous, he’s willing to take the risk so he can get closer to his fans and feed off of their energy:

“I’m willing for it to be a disaster because the pay-off, if it isn’t a disaster, is a really great moment. When everybody’s sort of neatly parted like the waters, it’s so boring. I just find it lame. I’m not interested, the energy feels like bulls—. I’d rather have a little bit of chaos about it.”

Urban takes the same spontaneous approach to other aspects of his concerts. You know all those videos that show him giving guitars away to fans or inviting random people on stage? Urban says that none of those moments are staged, and he actually gets upset when people think they are.

Not a single thing I do when I pull someone onstage is ever scripted,” he said. “It breaks my heart when I’ve heard people think that I’ve staged somebody in the audience or hand-picked somebody. It’s nonsense.

Urban’s spontaneity has led to some pretty incredible moments on his current tour. One such moment was when he invited two sisters on stage, only to discover that one of them is a singer-songwriter. Urban stopped the show, handed her a guitar, and let her take center stage to show off her talent to the world.

You can watch that moment in the clip below. It proves that being spontaneous can have some big payoffs! 

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About the Author

Miranda Raye

Hello, I'm Miranda, a lifelong country music fan! There are old home videos of me in my baby swing, swinging along to Dolly Parton and Ricky Van Shelton’s “Rockin’ Years.” Being able to unite my passions for storytelling, researching, and music into my work has been a dream come true.

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