Keith Urban Causes Quite a Stir After Sharing Photo of Sign That Was at His Concert
A Keith Urban show is not for the faint of heart, the musician himself has said in a bold Instagram post that drew more than a few reactions.
Urban has been playing at Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas since early March. To set the tone for his Las Vegas shows, he put an image of a sign reading “Guests are encouraged to stand during the performance” on his Instagram account.
In case that was insufficiently clear, he added a post that read, “Saw this sign and went ‘yep…we are SO IN THE RIGHT PLACE.’ Here we go Vegas! opening night of our brand new show. I’m giddy as s**t.”
WARNING: The following tweet contains vulgar language that some viewers may find offensive.
Saw this sign and went ‘yep…we are
SO IN THE RIGHT PLACE.’ Here we go Vegas ! opening night of our brand new show. I’m giddy as shit !!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/hhItdfHCdB— Keith Urban (@KeithUrban) March 3, 2023
According to the website Taste of Country, Urban, who had initially been planning to have 16 shows in Las Vegas through July 1, added eight shows that run through November.
In a review of Urban’s opening show during his residency in Las Vegas, John Taylor of the Las Vegas Sun said the legendary country music star had a point with his post.
“Who could sit while Urban, the four-time Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and guitarist extraordinaire, and his band pounded out hit after high-energy hit during the nearly two-hour sold-out show?” Taylor wrote.
According to the comments reacting to Urban’s Instagram post, some people would very much prefer to sit, while others cannot remain seated.
“As a short person with arthritis and other health issues, I don’t like it when people stand up the whole time. I pay for a seat. If you are able to stand, please buy a pit/general admission seat. And I never yell at anyone. Just passing that along,” one user wrote.
Another individual backed Urban, writing, “I hope so many people see this. Many of us get yelled at for standing. Try telling people for years that Keith himself encourages and wants us to stand and have the music move us. Thank you Keith (now to get a section for those who can’t stand ).”
One wrote that they paid good money to have a seat.
“Why can’t we just sit down and enjoy the show? I mean If I pay for Tickets for a seat, I should not have to stand up and Dance, etc. I’m not paid to be in the show. I’m paid to have a ‘Seat,’” they wrote.
But another stated, “So annoying when people tell me to sit down at concerts. Like go sit at home and listen to your radio.”
In a post on Medium, scoliosis sufferer Jennifer McDonald, who cannot remain on her feet for long periods of time, said she is among those who cannot stand the debate over standing.
“The world is full of all manner of people. Our differences make life exciting. We should all be able to attend concerts and enjoy them any way we please without being made to feel like lesser human beings. Stand up and dance if that makes you happy. Sit down and rock out in your chair if you prefer. Or you know what? Sit in your seat and don’t move a muscle if that’s the way you enjoy things!” she wrote.
“But stop judging other people for doing things differently than you. You are not superior just because you can stand up and dance for hours at a time. Stop acting like there’s only one way to be a real fan,” she wrote.
Over in the classical music world, an appeal for a less stony form of concert etiquette has been supported by Daniel Levitin, a professor of psychology and music at McGill University, in an Op-Ed in The New York Times.
“Music can be a more satisfying cerebral experience if we let it move us physically. When we hear a chord we like in works by Sibelius or Mahler, our brains want to shout out ‘Yeah!’ When an orchestra builds the timbral mass in Ravel’s ‘Bolero,’ we want to break out of our seats and dance and show how good it feels,” he wrote.
“Stand up, sit down, shout, let it all out. As the managers of Lincoln Center contemplate renovations, I say rip out some of the seats and give us room to move,” he wrote in a 2007 piece.
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