Review: Keith Urban gives stellar All-Star Weekend show amid a basketball court and a Kia

I was not exposed to country music much as a child. My rocker parents actually forbade me from playing it in the house.

But as an adult, I've come to enjoy a few subgenres, including “would earnestly fit in on the soundtrack of Disney's ‘Cars’” country.

Enter Keith Urban, who gave a makeshift venue in the corner of the Indiana Convention Center all it could handle.

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A strange, temporary concert venue

It was 5 p.m., folks were eating chicken tenders and playing basketball at the back of the room and the trappings of NBA All-Star weekend were all around us, but Urban gave the crowd his earnest best despite the circumstances.

Urban headlined Day Two of the NBA Crossover — All-Star weekend's fan-centric hub — concert series. T-Pain and Zedd played the room on Friday, with Lil Wayne set to take the stage Sunday.

It was essentially a big room with a stage — no seating, at least for non-VIPs. A State Farm-branded basketball skills course was at one corner furthest from the stage, while a 2024 Kia EV9 was on display in the other opposite corner. For some reason.

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The sound was decent for this being a temporary affair. There appeared to be issues with a few mics, and the large screen behind Urban cut out several times. But the show avoided major technical difficulties.

Because of the unique setting, I can't venture a guess on crowd size. The only thing I know for sure is the organizers could have fit 500 more people into the large area if they wished to.

Almost all of the audience members indicated they were from Indianapolis when asked by Urban. I was puzzled as to why Urban was booked in what is usually a hip-hop concert slot, but maybe the organizers felt he would appeal more to local fans. I'd argue that's an overgeneralization of Indianapolis music fans, but I guess the result is there.

Walker Hayes opens with pop-rap-party country

Walker Hayes opened the show, playing for about 45 minutes beginning at 4 p.m. The concert was set unusually early in the day so as to not compete with the basketball events.

Hayes was pretty solid. It's sort of like pop-rap-party country, and a portion of the audience seemed to vibe with it.

But Urban's musicianship and voice were, as always, unmatched. He is just a remarkable showman, capable of channeling Jimi Hendrix and John Denver in the same song.

I could understand, though not forgive, an artist phoning it in a bit under the circumstances. Weird venue, much smaller crowd, some basketball games to get to. But Urban gave basically the same show you'd get in an amphitheater.

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He sang "Happy Birthday" to an audience member, Bethany, and told jokes. He pumped everyone up and sweet-talked the city of Indianapolis, snow-covered as it was.

Look, the man is married to Nicole Kidman. He should be commended for leaving the house, let alone working hard to excel in every performance regardless of venue size.

Keith Urban concert highlights

He dropped an absolutely crushing "Days Go By," which he spliced with a short cover sample of Big Audio Dynamite II's "Rush."

Urban went into the crowd and set up on a small platform for a remarkable acoustic rendition of "You'll Think of Me," then signed his guitar and gave it to an audience member.

There was confetti, band introductions, a Skynyrd-esque guitar duel, phone flashlights during the ballads. It was a normal country-rock show that just happened to be the appetizer for a slam dunk contest.

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I heard firsthand and on social media from folks who had difficulty getting into the venue due to long lines on Friday. The Urban show on Saturday appeared to get folks through the doors in a relatively smooth fashion.

However, there was basically no signage pointing to the venue from within Crossover, which was massive. I couldn't find it, and I heard others complaining of the same.

But when it came to the actual performance, I can't really muster a single complaint. Urban is the man.

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Rory Appleton is the pop culture reporter at IndyStar. Contact him at 317-552-9044 and rappleton@indystar.com, or follow him on Twitter at @RoryEHAppleton.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: NBA All-Star Weekend concerts: Keith Urban shines in Crossover show