Photo courtesy of Erin Evans
Without fans artists would not survive in their chosen careers. Fans, quite simply, pay their bills. Whether they choose to live modestly or lavishly, fans determine just how much opulence they can enjoy. With the legions of fans Keith Urban has, it’s safe to say, he can probably do whatever he likes, and superfans like Erin Evans of Yorba Linda, California, are just one of many that help to fill the arenas that Urban plays.
Image courtesy of townmapsusa.com
Erin Evans has graciously offered to answer some questions about what makes her a big fan of Keith Urban, and believe me, she absolutely qualifies as a superfan. Let’s get to it!
Think Country: When do you first recall hearing of Keith Urban?
Erin Evans: A friend of mine converted me to country music in the summer of 2012. I was previously one of those “Who even likes country music?” people. I was more into classic rock. My friend Anthony put on Sirius/XM The Highway at our house and after my initial thought of “What is this nonsense?”, I found myself humming along. I then changed my presets in the car. Life changing! One of the first few artists I remember thinking twice about was Keith Urban. “You Gonna Fly” and “Kiss A Girl” were the songs playing on the radio at that time. When I saw him perform “Georgia Woods” on the 2012 CMA Awards Show with The Zac Brown Band and those blazing guitar solos, I was hooked!
Video courtesy of Erin Evans and YouTube
TC: Where was your first Keith Urban concert? Did you get to meet him at that show?
EE: My first Keith Urban concert was the Light the Fuse Tour for the Fuse album. It was in September 2013 at the Hollywood Bowl. I managed to score “pool seats”, even though I didn’t know what that meant. It turned out the pool meant the pit at the Hollywood Bowl. I talked some friends into going with me, I made a poster, the whole thing! It was awesome, I guess that’s no surprise! We were right next to the confetti cannons. I didn’t know about the confetti! I even got a high-five from Keith when he walked past us after his B-stage performance!
TC: What is the furthest you have traveled to see Keith perform?
EE: I have visited Nashville four times now, which is 4,000 miles round trip, each trip, to see Keith Urban concerts. All for the Hall in 2016, which is a benefit for the Country Music Hall of Fame, as well as his Nashville tour stops for the Ripcord Tour in 2016, Graffiti U Tour in 2018 and my first CMA Fest in 2019. Would I visit Nashville for reasons other than a Keith Urban concert? Absolutely, but a Keith Urban show is the icing on the cake!
Photo courtesy of Erin Evans
TC: What is your most prized piece of Keith Urban merch and why?
EE: It’s not exactly merch, but my most prized Keith Urban item is the signed picture he gave to me in 2017 at the California Midstate Fair. He graciously thanked four fans for helping him win the four CMT fan-voted awards in 2017. He thanked me in person at a meet and greet and surprised me with the signed picture. He further surprised me by sending one of his CMT awards to my house, where I kept it for a year on a shelf in my home. Who does that? Only Keith does that!
Photo courtesy of Erin Evans
EE: My most prized “official merch” would be a beautiful guitar string bracelet that was made from Keith Urban’s guitar strings. Keith’s fan club, “The Ville”, is really the best fan club, giving members a first look at merchandise. It’s a heads up on things that are going to be on sale in the shop on Keith’s website. If it’s Keith Urban related and it’s limited edition, sign me up!
TC: I know it’s hard to choose, but if you had to pick, what is your favorite Keith Urban song and why?
EE: If I have to pick one favorite, I just can’t! I’d have to narrow it down to three! I hope that’s okay! I’ll explain why. First one is “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16”. This song was the first time I saw Keith playing the bass. It was co-written by Shane McAnally. I printed the lyrics and was actually able to get Shane to sign them at a songwriter event I attended. He replied to me on Instagram when I posted it. Also, on a family trip, we stopped in a restaurant where they had tons of old western cowboy pictures up on the walls. We were near the Alabama Hills where they filmed a lot of the old western movies. I tried to explain “westerns” to my kids. It wasn’t easy, and one of the pictures was of John Wayne. My kid, Casey, said, “Oh, like John Wayne, Superman, California”, and it made my whole day.
Video courtesy of Keith Urban and YouTube
EE: My next favorite Keith Urban song is “Wasted Time”. I love this song every single time. I love the whole premise of “Wasting time is never time wasted.” It’s just like hanging out at a concert with friends or just doing nothing with people you love, and it reminds me of lots and lots of confetti that usually flies at the end of a Keith Urban concert!
Video courtesy of Tito Santana and YouTube
EE: The third song that’s a favorite of mine is “Texas Time”. I’ve loved this song before Graffiti U even came out. I’m not sure why, it’s just a groove. We got to hear it in Lake Tahoe when our family went to our second Keith Urban show. We had VIP and we got to see Keith talking at the Backstage Experience. We had amazing seats and the summer storms in Tahoe came in and lifted, and we had a great night indeed! Every time I hear this song, I think of this and I love it even more.
Video courtesy of Erin Evans and YouTube
TC: Tell me about any random great experience you had at a Keith Urban concert.
EE: In 2016, for the Ripcord World Tour, there was a Spotify streaming contest. Whoever streamed the most Keith Urban in a particular city won tickets to the show and a meet and greet. Sign me up, I can stream! I can even stream music while I’m on summer vacation with my kids! I actually won the contest and my first official meet and greet with Keith Urban for myself and a friend. Even though I already had tickets, I talked my friend Marlo into going to the venue a bit early so I could see the big semi truck and take pictures. The meet and greet was awesome! The tickets I won ended up being front and center at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, even though I never once actually sat down that night!
Photo courtesy of Erin Evans
EE: Another amazing concert experience I had was for the Graffiti U album release week in April 2018, Keith had a few surprises planned. He had two listening parties, one in Nashville and one in Los Angeles. I did not win tickets to the LA listening show at iHeartRadio Theater in Burbank. I was sad about it, but sometimes those are the breaks. I was on a school field trip when I got a message from a Facebook friend, Donna. We were online friends but had never met in person, but we both loved Keith and that’s always a good thing. She had tickets to the LA show and asked if I wanted to be her plus one. Absolutely! She flew out from Florida to attend the show and stayed with me and my family! Not only did we attend the album release party, we won tickets to see Keith perform on The Ellen Show the next day as well! Keith was in Southern California to also perform over the weekend at the Stagecoach Festival, which I was not attending. It’s a huge festival, but surprise, he was going to do a pop up show at a small club in Hollywood! Pop up shows are a Nashville thing, and now we were getting a pop up show on the West Coast? No way! My friend Heather immediately knew what club it was based on one mysterious and cryptic photo that was posted. I am eternally grateful she has such knowledge. Thank you Heather! So, my friend Taylor and I casually lined up at the club the next morning so we were first in line and in front for a very small show, which was unbelievable, and he sang “Texas Time” which was a bonus! I also went to see Keith perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live a few days later. Best album release week ever, and all of these shows were free!
Photo courtesy of 90 East Photography/Think Country
TC: How many times have you seen Keith Urban play live and how many times have you met him?
EE: I have seen Keith perform live 26 times including Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Ellen Show and twice when he performed on American Idol. I have won three meet and greets, two through the fan club and once through a Spotify contest. I have met him in person a few other times at American Idol and when he had an album release event at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles.
TC: If you could have Keith Urban cover any song and dedicate it to you at a concert, what would it be?
EE: Hmmm… that is a tough question! I can only imagine Keith singing Keith songs. When Keith plays the free New Year’s Eve concert in Nashville every year, and who else does this, by the way? Just Keith! He does a wonderful “In Memorium” medley to honor those artists we have lost that year. He once covered an AC/DC song when we lost Malcolm Young, I think it was “Back in Black”, and I was thinking I’d love to hear him play more of that hard rock. It sounded great! Keith can certainly jam on that guitar! So, I guess it would be any AC/DC song!
Video courtesy of macartsk and YouTube
TC: In your own words, what makes you, Erin Evans, a Keith Urban superfan?
EE: He’s my favorite artist! Have I seen him in concert already? Yes! Am I ready to see him in concert again? Yes! He is electric onstage and every show is fantastic! He is also really great with his fans, most times staying well after a show has ended to shake hands, take pictures and sign autographs. I still get excited when his songs play on the radio. I still rush to look when there are new posts or tweets. He is always moving, new music coming, filming a video, playing a benefit concert or announcing his limited engagement residency in Las Vegas. I love all of it! Am I a stalker? No! A superfan knows the difference! We are music enthusiasts! Will we show up early to events? Yes, of course we will. We have many, many Keith Urban friends in the world and it’s so much fun to meet in person before and after the show!
Photo courtesy of 90 East Photography/Think Country
TC: What are your suggestions for something that would be amazing for Keith Urban superfans? Something like, say, a Keith Urban Cruise?
EE: One of my friends recently suggested the idea of a Pay-Per-View for something like All for the Hall. I think a Pay-Per-View, or even a link to watch a playback of your own recently attended concert would be amazing! We have the technology, let’s do this! I am also hoping for new music coming soon, and neat fan club experiences that might come with this. They seem to get better each year!
TC: Why should other people listen to Keith Urban’s music?
EE: Other people should listen to Keith Urban because Keith’s the best! His music is uplifting and instantly puts me in a better mood. He sings about life and I wouldn’t hesitate to have my kids attend one of his shows, as he has wholesome songs and puts on a 110% energy-filled and engaging show. He cares about his music and he cares about his fans consistently. I have made so many friends through Keith’s music. He just puts out a positive vibe that I love. Cue the song “My Wave”. Is his music pure country? Nope. I love that he taps into classic country, current country and also pop. Always different, always evolving, like country music does. Always a surprise coming, always.
I’m convinced that Erin Evans isn’t just a Keith Urban superfan, she’s one of the best fans Mr. Keith Urban could ever ask for. She’s loyal, she understands what being a good fan is about, meaning she completely respects his personal life and his boundaries. She isn’t there to cross lines that aren’t meant to be crossed. She is there for the love of the music she can enjoy on her own time, and when it comes to the live music experience, that’s where she excels at being a superfan. It’s no wonder Keith entrusted her with his CMT award for an entire year. He knows that she “gets” it. I guess that seals it. If Keith Urban thinks Erin Evans is a “super” superfan, who are we to argue? If you see Erin at a Keith Urban show, definitely introduce yourself. She will be thrilled to meet another “KU friend”, I’ll bet my last dime on that.
Keith Urban Website: https://keithurban.net/
