A little bit Country... A little bit Steely Dan.

OK. Rick and I are not what you might call Country Music fans. (That probably doesn’t surprise you). In fact I’ve never…ever…bought a ticket for a Country Music concert nor a Country album. I don’t think Rick has either. But once in a blue moon an opportunity comes around  to jump into a new pool with an open-minded objectivity and see what “new” music tastes like.

That’s what Rick and I did this past weekend…thanks to our good friend Chris Rodriguez, who is currently on tour with one of Country’s biggest stars – Keith Urban – playing guitar and assisting on BGVs.

It all happened so quickly…I called Chris (a past IMC guest), a few weeks back and asked if we might get together for dinner, hanging a little, and maybe interviewing him during the tour’s stop in Indianapolis. To my surprise, we got it all!  FREE tickets to the show; backstage passes (to look important while wearing our Inside MusiCast Media badges), and a chance to witness the “behind the scenes” world of the Keith Urban tour. This would be their second outdoor show this year.

Chris, being a gracious host, allowed an on-stage video interview (Rick shot some great footage), immediately following the sound check – walking us through every amp, keyboard, and guitar that he, members of the band and Keith play during the performances. His detailed commentary on every guitar was impressive. Later he spent more time with us on his tour bus…allowing us to continue our interview with him…talking about the good, the bad, and the sacrifices of heavy touring with Urban over the past few years.

I learned a lot about about Country Music this past weekend. We both did. We learned that this “new Country” (such as Urban’s music), is a truly a hybrid of musical genres. 80’s Rock, Folk, Pop, and obviously Country. Surprisingly, the pre-show “house” music, wasn’t even Country. It was everything BUT country… tracks from THE WHO, PETER GABRIEL, BEATLES, even Belinda Carlisle. I gazed at Rick utterly confused. Were we at a Country or a U2 concert? Things didn’t make sense.

Then, the show started. Urban took the stage and…well, all I can say is that it was a helluva show. With Urban at center stage, four musicians playing guitars, bass, mandolin, and ganjo (watch the video interview later), balanced him on either side. Rodriguez located stage left of Urban. At the end of each song, a flurry of guitar changes literally left me dazed. Rodriguez changed axes at least 10 times during the first half of the show. This wasn’t twang Country. This wasn’t anything like Conway Twitty. These guys played their butts off in a stylish and quality manner. Reminded me of a type of resurrected 80s Rock with an injection of “cool”. Can’t explain it. But who’d expect an Aussie to be making it this big in Country? Urban drips coolness…so does Rodriguez.

We left impressed at the level of sophistication of sound, production, and musicianship presented. This was a BIG show. I mean BIG. Over 7 semi-trailers and at least 4 Prevost tour buses (you know, the real expensive ones), to carry this show from town to town….

No, this was not a “Country”…it was something new that I hadn’t really experienced before. But like they say….”there’s good music and bad music”. This was definitely GOOD and NEW music to us.

Thanks Chris for your hospitality and your friendship. You went beyond the call for both me and Rick.

Eddy