RodeoHouston 2018

Keith Urban charms crowd, spreads Lone Star love during fiery RodeoHouston set

Country superstar Keith Urban made the most of the RodeoHouston stage.

Photo courtesy of RodeoHouston

Country superstar Keith Urban may have played a shorter set than some of the other acts at RodeoHouston, but he was worth the price of admission in an entertaining display of charismatic showmanship in front of 72,000 at NRG Stadium on March 15.

The Australia-raised performer only played 10 tracks at RodeoHouston, his first appearance since 2016, but he made the most of his time, giving the fans mostly hits that he’s known for: contagious hooks and killer rock guitar riffs with just enough twang to call it country. For real, though — the man can shred a Fender Telecaster with the best of them.

He and his four-piece backing band opened up with three cuts from No. 1 U.S. chart-topping album, Fuse, the first being the big hooks of “Somewhere In My Car.” Dressed in a designer shirt and jeans, tattoos clearly displayed, and a perfectly coiffed haircut that wouldn’t look out of place in a Def Leppard cover band, Urban didn’t say much until the end of Fuse deep cut, “Good Thing,” with its guitar licks straight from a KISS concert. Following the song, he let out a big whoop, acknowledging the party was in full throttle.

That kicked into the catchy “Little Bit of Everything,” set to a hip-hop beat and a sweet harmonized chorus. Next up was the premiere of brand new song, that will likely be included on his upcoming new album with the working title, Graffiti U.

“We have a new album that we are working on right now that we’ll be coming out with soon and we have a song that we should do here tonight,” Urban said. “It’s called ‘Texas Time,’ so if we should premiere it anywhere, it should be here in Houston, Texas.”

An almost surefire future hit about missing country living, and more specifically, Texas living, it sounded like a '70s Elton John track. In other words, it’s a crossover pop banger waiting to happen — disco crossed with a C&W twinge, set to a four-to-the-floor stomp.

Crowd favorite “Blue Ain’t Your Color” had a synth riff lifted almost straight from fellow Aussie band INXS’ greatest ballad, “Never Tear Us Apart.” Carrie Underwood duet “The Fighter” was good, clean, country-pop with even more disco flourishes despite an unsynchronized video of her singing being one of the very few mistakes of the evening.

“This is the seventh time we’ve played right here,” acknowledged Urban during the show. And, unlike RodeoHouston rookies OneRepublic the night before, his veteran status was apparent throughout as he expertly drew the audience in, perhaps making better use of the Stars Over Texas stage than any other performer this year.

One such moment came during a rendition of top 10 hit, “Raise ‘Em Up,” when Urban walked to one of the stage’s distinct five points and played an lengthy guitar solo as it, ahem, raised him up into the air, improvising lyrics on the fly to huge ovation, including words from "Deep in the Heart of Texas":

“Houston you have no idea how much I love playing here every time/There’s 72,000 people in here and it feels like it’s just you and I.”

Urban also got even more close and personal, interacting with the crowd during 2002 No. 1 hit, “Somebody Like You” (the only song he performed that was released before 2010), jumping off the stage to shake hands with the first row before climbing up onto a box next to the seating rail at what would be the Texan’s 50-yard-line. It was there he got the crowd singing along with him, before proceeding to melt the faces off of those in that section with another superb guitar solo.

Urban’s command of the audience, the overall musicianship, screen visuals, and use of the unique stage design undeniably made this one of the better shows at RodeoHouston this year.

After an extended version of 2016 hit, “Wasted Time,” Urban wrapped up the proceedings, letting everyone know, “We’ll be back for No. 8!” It’s a promise thousands of ecstatic fans hope he keeps.

Keith Urban Setlist
“Somewhere In My Car”
“Good Thing”
“Little Bit of Everything”
“Texas Time” (new song)
“Blue Ain’t Your Color”
“The Fighter” featuring Carrie Underwood
“Raise ‘Em Up”Deep In The Heart Of Texas”
“Long Hot Summer”
“Somebody Like You”
“Wasted Time”

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Movie Review

Star TV producer James L. Brooks stumbles with meandering movie Ella McCay

Photo courtesy of 20th Century Studios

Emma Mackey in Ella McCay.

The impact that writer/director/producer James L. Brooks has made on Hollywood cannot be understated. The 85-year-old created The Mary Tyler Moore Show, personally won three Oscars for Terms of Endearment, and was one of the driving forces behind The Simpsons, among many other credits. Now, 15 years after his last movie, he’s back in the directing chair with Ella McCay.

The similarly-named Emma Mackey plays Ella, a 34-year-old lieutenant governor of an unnamed state in 2008 who’s on the verge of becoming governor when Governor Bill (Albert Brooks) gets picked to be a member of the president’s Cabinet. What should be a happy time is sullied by her needy husband, Ryan (Jack Lowden), her agoraphobic brother, Casey (Spike Fearn), and her perpetually-cheating father, Eddie (Woody Harrelson).

Despite the trio of men competing to bring her down, Ella remains an unapologetic optimist, an attitude bolstered by her aunt Helen (Jamie Lee Curtis), her assistant Estelle (Julie Kavner), and her police escort, Trooper Nash (Kumail Nanjiani). The film follows her over a few days as she navigates the perils of governing, the distractions her family brings, and the expectations being thrust upon her by many different people.

Brooks, who wrote and directed the film, is all over the place with his storytelling. What at first seems to be a straightforward story about Ella and her various issues soon starts meandering into areas that, while related to Ella, don’t make the film better. Prime among them are her brother and father, who are given a relatively small amount of screentime in comparison to the importance they have in her life. This is compounded by a confounding subplot in which Casey tries to win back his girlfriend, Susan (Ayo Edebiri).

Then there’s the whole political side of the story, which never finds its focus and is stuck in the past. Though it’s never stated explicitly, Ella and Governor Bill appear to be Democrats, especially given a signature program Ella pushes to help mothers in need. But if Brooks was trying to provide an antidote to the current real world politics, he doesn’t succeed, as Ella’s full goals are never clear. He also inexplicably shows her boring her fellow lawmakers to tears, a strange trait to give the person for whom the audience is supposed to be rooting.

What saves the movie from being an all-out train wreck is the performances of Mackey and Curtis. Mackey, best known for the Netflix show Sex Education, has an assured confidence to her that keeps the character interesting and likable even when the story goes downhill. Curtis, who has tended to go over-the-top with her roles in recent years, tones it down, offering a warm place of comfort for Ella to turn to when she needs it. The two complement each other very well and are the best parts of the movie by far.

Brooks puts much more effort into his female actors, including Kavner, who, even though she serves as an unnecessary narrator, gets most of the best laugh lines in the film. Harrelson is capable of playing a great cad, but his character here isn’t fleshed out enough. Fearn is super annoying in his role, and Lowden isn’t much better, although that could be mostly due to what his character is called to do. Were it not for the always-great Brooks and Nanjiani, the movie might be devoid of good male performances.

Brooks has made many great TV shows and movies in his 60+ year career, but Ella McCay is a far cry from his best. The only positive that comes out of it is the boosting of Mackey, who proves herself capable of not only leading a film, but also elevating one that would otherwise be a slog to get through.

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Ella McCay opens in theaters on December 12.

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