Keith Urban, pop cowboy, keeps a perennial fresh face

Keith Urban. Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne. December 12.

Keith Urban. Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne. December 12.

KEITH Urban has come a long way from his days singing Hank Williams covers in suburban Queensland pubs in the 1980s. Since branching out as a solo artist, Urban's career has been littered with accolades and awards, from Golden Guitars in Tamworth to Grammys in Los Angeles.

With the personal demons that led Urban to extended periods of cocaine and alcohol addiction now behind him, and marriage and parenthood with actor Nicole Kidman apparently rehabilitating his once hedonistic lifestyle, Urban was in Melbourne to kick off the Australian leg of his Escape Together world tour.

While Urban retains the same visual aesthetic appeal of yore - the audience was replete with banners and specially made T-shirts shamelessly proclaiming affection for the perennially fresh-faced star - the years spent cultivating pop stardom have sanitised his music into a slickly produced commercial product.

With tracks such as Stupid Boy, Sweet Thing and the soaring power ballad Tonight, Urban

was indistinguishable from any buffed West Coast pop star. It took older tunes of the calibre of Days Go By, Blacktop and Somebody Like You to offer a glimpse of the young country rock star who wowed the crowds at country music festivals in the 1990s.

What Urban has never lost is his empathetic charm. With a smile so perfect it would bring tears to a dental surgeon's eye, and a palpable sense of humility and sincerity, Urban avoided any pretence of the precious rock star. For Making Memories of Us and Only You Can Love (dedicated to Kidman) Urban travelled to the rear of the venue for an intimate acoustic solo moment; for You Look Good in My Shirt Urban rocked out in the lower tiers of the audience to the delight of the surrounding crowd.

A surprise came in the form of the appearance of young Melbourne-based singer Megan Washington, who joined Urban on stage for a duet of Billy Joel's You May Be Right.

Urban's supporting musicians included Americans Brad Rice, Chris Rodriguez and Brian Nutter sharing guitar and banjo duties; and bass player Jerry Flowers from Urban's original Nashville outfit, the Ranch. Eschewing the enigmatic attitude typical of a backing band, here the band accepted Urban's invitation to showcase their individual vocal skills midway through the show.

As the confetti showered down on the audience, Urban closed the evening with Better Life.

Urban's music may be more pop than country, but he is as natural and charismatic as the day he first stepped on stage.

WIN Entertainment Centre, Wollongong tonight; Sydney Entertainment Wednesday December 16; Brisbane Entertainment December 18. Tickets: $119. Bookings: 132 849.