Country superstar Keith Urban comes to Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre on Oct. 20
From a press release:
Four-time Grammy Award winner Keith Urban has set the summer of 2022 for the North American debut of his first world tour in four years, The Speed of Now Tour. Its newly announced North American leg, with three-time Grammy nominee Ingrid Andress, will add 50 shows to the previously announced concerts in Australia, Germany, Netherlands, and the United Kingdom.
One of those concerts will be held at Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza in Wilkes-Barre Township on Thursday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m.
“Every night is the first time we’ve played these songs for that audience, in that moment,” the country music superstar said. “It’s why every show is different – spontaneous and unpredictable – even for us!
“After two years, we’re finally gonna get the chance to play some of the new songs we haven’t done live before. We’ll throw in a bunch of the songs that everyone comes to hear, a couple of which we’ll rework a bit, and it’s really gonna be tough to get us off the stage.”
Critics from around the globe have hailed Urban’s concerts as “not to be missed,” as unpredictable as they are explosive. Combine his infectious showmanship, virtuoso guitar playing, and effortless spontaneity with a fist-pumping, arena-ready arsenal of hits and The Speed of Now World Tour promises to be one of the concert events of the summer.
“I’ve always considered myself a live performer first,” Urban emphasized.
“It’s what I’ve always done and it’s what my music needs to live and breathe. Our shows are all about living in the moment. They’re a totally interactive and immersive experience where everyone can participate in whatever way they want – sing, dance, do whatever.”
But what lies at the heart of every great show are the songs. “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” “The Fighter,” “Somewhere in My Car,” “Wasted Time,” “Somebody Like You,” “Long Hot Summer,” his latest single “Wild Hearts,” and his global smash “One Too Many” with Pink will anchor a night of music from one of the touring world’s best.
The tour includes Urban’s first concerts in Fort Worth and Savannah, his first appearances at venues in Los Angeles and Jacksonville, and a run of dates at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, as well as shows in Knoxville, Charleston, and Madison, where he hasn’t played in nearly a decade.
Tickets, which start at $29.50, go on sale next Friday, April 29 at 10 a.m. online at ticketmaster.com and in person at the NBT Bank Box Office at Mohegan Sun Arena (255 Highland Park Blvd., Wilkes-Barre).
Keith Urban has spent the better part of his life harnessing a deep-seated passion for music. This, when combined with his authenticity, talent, and driving musical inquisitiveness, helps to understand why he is one of the most successful and well-respected artists in the world. He’s won four Grammys, 13 CMAs, 15 ACMs, three AMAs, two People’s Choice Awards, and celebrated nine consecutive gold, platinum, or multi-platinum albums.
This year begins a new musical chapter for Urban. While his current single “Wild Hearts” continues its climb on the charts, there will be new music coming, some as early as this spring. And for those who’ve ever seen Urban live, they know that’s when he’s at his best – and in 2022 that’s exactly what they’re going to get.
Finally, the stage that’s stood vacant for nearly four years will be occupied by one of the music world’s best live performers. Urban’s The Speed of Now World Tour promises to be his biggest; it is currently scheduled to play to fans in four countries – including the United States, U.K., Australia, and Canada – on three continents. His concerts have become legendary – as unpredictable as they are explosive, they’re experiences of emotion, musical texture, energy, and showmanship.
So, while planning for the tour is underway, there are the songs. “Wild Hearts” is an autobiographical, fist-pumping, arena-ready track that is as authentic as it is infectious – quintessential Urban. It comes on the heels of “One Too Many” (his duet with Pink), the last from “The Speed of Now Part 1,” which marked his fourth in an historic streak of simultaneous No. 1 album debuts in the U.S., Canada, and Australia.
Released in 2020, his 11th studio album produced the Top 5 songs “God Whispered Your Name” and “We Were,” as well as “One Too Many” that not only gave Urban his 43rd Top 10 single in the U.S. and his 27th No. 1 in Canada. The song also reached No. 1 on the Australian Artist singles chart, spent 44 weeks in the Top 50 on the U.K. Airplay chart, and garnered over 100 million Spotify streams in just 10 months.
While COVID turned the touring world on its head, 2020 saw Urban do what he does best – make music. He was featured on two songs from Taylor Swift’s album “Fearless (Taylor’s Version),” including “That’s When” and “We Were Happy,” was a part of the performance of the John Lennon’s “Imagine” for the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, and he was a co-host for the 56th annual Academy of Country Music Awards. He also collaborated with Yamaha for the release of the Urban Guitar and companion lesson app.
Urban’s musical virtuosity and fluidity has made him the musician’s musician. The 54-year-old New Zealand-born Australian American has collaborated with a diverse group of artists that include, among others, Billy Gibbons, Buddy Guy, Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, Eric Church, John Mayer, Julia Michaels, Justin Timberlake, Dzeko, Miranda Lambert, Nile Rodgers, Post Malone, Taylor Swift, The Rolling Stones, and Vince Gill.
He has also long supported numerous charities. His “All for the Hall” benefit concerts for the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum have raised over $4.2 million. He is the first ambassador of the CMA Foundation, an advisory board member at the St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, and a longtime supporter of The Mr. Holland’s Opus Fund and The Grammy Foundation.
Three-time Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Ingrid Andress released her first album, “Lady Like,” in 2020, which set the record as the highest streaming country female debut album of all time upon release. It features her multi-platinum No. 1 radio single “More Hearts Than Mine,” which also made history as the only debut single from a solo female artist to break the Top 20 on country radio in 2019. At last year’s Grammy Awards, she was the only country artist to be nominated in a “Big Four” category and tied as the most-nominated country artist overall.
Along with critical acclaim from V Magazine, Nylon, and Rolling Stone, her latest release, “Wishful Drinking” (with Sam Hunt), debuted on Spotify’s Top Songs chart and has earned more than 40 million streams to date. With over 730 million global streams, Andress is currently on the road with her own U.S. and European headlining tour in between opening for country duo Dan + Shay.
