Photo by Andy Argyrakis

From the 1990s through now, there’s been no stopping country icon Keith Urban, who keeps topping the charts and packing the sheds with a guitar-based repertoire that frequently crosses over into pop or rock and occasionally channels the blues.

Either way, he’s one of the finest axe-slingers who ever walked the planet, ranking right up there with any of the greats and completely turning his primary genre upside down on a regular basis.

That was certainly the case at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre where Urban spent two-hours shredding with “The Speed Of Now,” to quote the name of this extensive tour and the album that preceded it.

In other words, the singer/songwriter and former “American Idol” judge refused to rest on his laurels, refreshing a tried and true hit making formula with awe-inspiring chord structures, unpredictable production, and of course, lots of memorable melodies.

After casually sauntering out of a smokescreen and greeting everyone to thunderous applause, Urban cranked it up for the current “Tumbleweed,” but swiftly unloaded the classics, including “Days Go By” and “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16” to predictably wild reactions.

It was a sentiment he’d constantly tap into thanks to “Kiss A Girl” (featuring a slice of Ed Sheeran’s “Bad Habits”), “Long Hot Summer” (written in town with Illinois’ own Richard Marx), “God Whispered Your Name” and “You Look Good In My Shirt,” all enhanced by a killer band, lighting design and jumbo screen where Pink and Carrie Underwood would eventually appear for virtual duets.

Even with the vast display, Urban was at the most engaging when trading it all for a smaller platform near the lawn to get closer to fans in the rain, who screamed along to John Denver’s “Thank God I’m A Country Boy,” plus his own “Someday Baby” and “You’ll Think Of Me,” complete with an autographed guitar giveaway to one lucky listener.

Upon returning to the regular stage, the momentum kept building with “Somebody Like You” (cheekily merged with The Tokens’ “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”), “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” “The Fighter” and “Wasted Time” before unplugging from it all for the acoustic “Stupid Boy” and turning the tide exclusively towards to his immense talents.

Just beforehand, fellow troubadour Tyler Hubbard, a star of similar stature who’s headlined the very same venue on numerous occasions, made a solo debut outside the super duo Florida Georgia Line.

He definitely dropped a couple mega reminders in the form of “Cruise” and “Meant To Be” (with opener Ingrid Andress), but made the primary focus equally catchy individual tunes, such as “5 Foot 9” and “Dancin’ In The Country,” while confidently climbing up the career ladder all over again.

For additional information on Keith Urban, visit KeithUrban.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre include Five Finger Death Punch and Megadeth (Sept. 30). For additional details, visit LiveNation.com.

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