Crow/Urban do SDMHA

[Livia]

http://www.dicksonherald.com/apps/pb...T0106/61009001

Concert review: With Urban's help, Crow fires up crowd in her new Nashville home

By Nicole Keiper
Staff Writer


What could Sheryl Crow do to fire up her drowsy, Sunday night Starwood lawn crowd, stretched out all the way from the borders of the good seats, snuggling and dozing under blankets in the cool Autumn air while she strummed intently way down yonder on stage?

Well, she sure did find a way – one that the stream of defectors that started a few songs into her headlining set are surely kicking themselves for missing now – when she brought out country lady-killer Keith Urban. He joined her for a show-stopping take on the Stevie Nicks/Tom Petty duet "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around," followed by a fully fiery stab at Crow's own "If it Makes You Happy."

The two top-notch singers crowded around a single mike, Urban issuing blasts of the kind of explosive guitar leads that have made him one of country's reigning heroes, and the formerly heavy-lidded lawn populous flung to its feet and erupted in squeals.

"I just wanna scream!" Crow howled in response, letting loose a world-class schoolgirl squeal (she's a professional, after all).

The Petty/Nicks hit wasn't the night's only cover: Crow and band topped off their set with a springloaded, energetic version of Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll," after swaying through Crow's hit cover of Cat Stevens' "The First Cut is the Deepest" (the set's standout) and threading some well-picked snippets (The Rolling Stones' "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," Gordon Lightfoot's "Sundown") into a tidy selection of her own anthemic pop hits.

And Urban's appearance wasn't the only surprise, either. Crow dedicated "Home" to Nashville, after letting the crowd in on the fact that she's joined her friend Urban and taken residence here.

"There've been rumors about me moving here," Crow said to the crew of cheering neighbors. "God knows I've tried to move here. But I'm here now."

Urban, too, certainly wasn't the night's only guitar hero.

Gauzy voiced heartthrob John Mayer held the crowd in advance of Crow, and surely held up his reputation as modern pop's six-stringer to beat, decorating his own selection of hits ("No Such Thing," "Bigger Than My Body" and Daughters" among them) and album cuts with wailing-but-tidy blues solos.

If you can offer a gripe about Mayer's well-coiffed blues-rock (and there are certainly plenty of hipsters who do), it's that, while it's unfailingly well-crafted and impeccably performed, all the things that make the blues bluesy and rock suitably rocked (ache, strain, sex, sweat) are shaved in favor of a clean, Sunday-best pop version of both.

If his family-friendliness bothered anyone down in the front at Starwood, though, it certainly wasn't apparent, what with all the Urban-rivaling squeals. Crow gave him high praise, too, before inviting him out to play guitar on "My Favorite Mistake," cheering that, "He's a bada--… and the girls kind of like him."

Maybe it was Mayer's smooth hush of a voice that mellowed the folks in the cheap seats for most of the night, maybe it was the crisp, breezy air. Either way, it'd be hard to pin on Crow – her voice was alternately silky and sonorous, her band taut but with a tasteful hint at rock 'n' roll abandon, and her crowd interaction fun and friendly.

Galloping through pre-encore closer "Every Day is a Winding Road," Crow shook and shimmied with some goofed-out dance moves (who thought you'd ever see someone do the cabbage patch on Starwood's stage?), laughing and mock-apologetically admitting, "Britney Spears I'm not."

Good thing, too – because what Crow proves herself to be time and again is a masterful songwriter, singer, guitarist, bassist and performer. And now, another source of pride for Nashville.

[skcin]

I would love to hear this. Hopefully it will pop up. Thanks Livia!

[JazmenFlowers]

has an mp3 shown up? I may scour some Urban boards.

[Mike B]

I recorded that night. Keith Urban was a huge surprise during the show...SDMHA was an even bigger one! Here is SDMHA. Not a great recording, but you can get the gist of it.

http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.ph...931B9C4E7B049E

[bikerchic]

^^ Wow. That sounds pretty good. Ho****, man, Keith sounds like Tom Thank you very much

[JazmenFlowers]

Originally Posted by Mike B

I recorded that night. Keith Urban was a huge surprise during the show...SDMHA was an even bigger one! Here is SDMHA. Not a great recording, but you can get the gist of it.

http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.ph...931B9C4E7B049E

you've been holding out on us! lol.

thank you!!!

[jannieC]

That does sound great. Sheryl does NOT sound like Sheryl to me, though? She sounds great, different- I've not really listened to a lot of her stuff though, so apparently she has a bit more vocal range than I had thought. Thanks for posting that.