Keith Urban Preps For First Full Tour In Three Years: ‘I’m Extra Jonesing To Get Out There’

Keith Urban is preparing to embark on his first full tour in nearly three years, and he’s never been more ready. Comparing himself to a racehorse kicking at the stalls in anticipation, he’s eager to bring his show to stages across the U.S., Canada, and Australia in 2025.

“I feel like a racehorse just sort of at the starting gate, just kicking at the stalls, trying to get out. I can see the track and I’m like, just let me at it,” Urban recently admitted to Country Now and other outlets.

Three years off the road is a particularly long break for Urban, especially since he lives for the rush of performing live. He is used to running the touring circuit every couple of years, which is why he is “extra jonesing” to get back out in front of his fans this year. The reason for this lengthy hiatus is due to the fact that he was planning on touring an album titled 615 that ended up getting scraped and turned into HIGH. Although the delay was disappointing at the time, Urban admits he preferred taking the extra time away from touring to ensure he could return with music and a live show he was truly proud of.

“We should have toured last year. That was the plan, but I scrapped an album and ended up making High, and so that pushed me off a year, which is fine because I’m much happier with this album and especially the songs that we get to play live – ‘Straight Line,’ ‘Chuck Taylors,’ ‘Laughin’ All the Way To The Drank,’ ‘Wildside,’ there’s so many fiery, energized, up-tempo songs, which I love playing live and especially outdoors, summer. That’s my jam,” he shared.

Reflecting on the challenges of releasing music during the pandemic, Urban opened up about the deeper connection he has with his music and fans.

“It was so hard during Covid to put out an album, not be able to tour, and I realized that it’s not just for me as an artist. And it’s not just playing those songs live in front of an audience and the experience of that that I missed,’ he explained. “When I make an album, that’s one version of those songs, it’s just one version. Yes, it’s the recorded version, but it’s just one version and I love getting out on stage and continuing to discover and expand and excavate more of what these songs potential is.”

Testing The Brand-New Show In Las Vegas

Urban had the unique opportunity to prepare for this upcoming run by testing new production elements and set lists throughout his Las Vegas residency. Taking place at the Fontainebleau, the Australian singer/songwriter delivered a run of 10 exclusive performances that began in October and continued with additional shows across February 2025.

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He explained that playing these shows just before launching his massive world tour gave him the rare chance to rehearse in front of a smaller live audience each night—something most artists don’t get to do before hitting the road for a big run. The production of the High and Alive World Tour is expected to be bigger and better than ever before, with brand-new elements such as engaging video walls that “move and do cool things” coinciding with his performances.

“We put this production into play in our Vegas residency. We’ve never had that opportunity before to have shows somewhere else that we could almost start rehearsing for the bigger tour. So everything that we had at Fontainebleau for our residency is the same production that we’re bringing on the road for this tour,” he shared.

The one thing that Urban has not been able to test while in Sin City is the B stage that has become a regular part of his headlining tours, as it allows him to give ticketholders in the back part of the venue to experience a portion of the show up close. Since this is an incredibly important part of the live shows for Urban, he promised that it will return in 2025.

“Yeah, we’ll have something out by the lawn. I love getting out there and plan for everybody. We’re putting that together right now. That’s the one area we didn’t have in Vegas, so we’ll be definitely making sure that…that is important. I love getting out there.” 

What Songs Will Appear On Urban’s 2025 Setlist?

In addition to the show-stopping production, the “Go Home W U” singer has been involved in the incredibly difficult task of putting together a setlist. With the massive catalog of hits that Urban has built throughout his career, it’s becoming harder and harder each year to create a set list that celebrates all of his fan-favorites while also showcasing his latest work.

“There’s the songs I want to play and then there’s the songs that work really well and it’s figuring all that out as we go in real time. How many songs off the new album we can do that work?” he wonders while taking the fans’ opinions strongly into consideration. “As a person that goes to see concerts, I’m not a big fan of hearing too many songs I don’t know back-to-back off the new album. So I’m always sensitive to layering those in amongst other songs that everybody knows really well. But I’m curious which ones work.”

He is especially looking forward to highlighting songs off his newest record like “Laughin’ All The Way To The Drank,” “Dodge In A Silverado,” “Daytona,” and his current single, “Straight Line,” which has been a staple in his life shows even before the album dropped.

Introducing The 2025 Tour Family

Names after his 11^th studio album, the High and Alive World Tour is set to kick off May 22 in Orange Beach, AL and continue through October 17, when he will close with a stop at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena. The Australian leg kicks off August 13 with stops in Brisbane, Wollongong, Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide. Chase Matthew, Alana Springsteen and Karley Scott Collins will serve as support on select dates.

The country star recalled how he settled on this lineup of rising stars to join him throughout the trek, sharing “I wanted to bring Chase out on the tour. I heard of him a year or two back and I just loved his voice and his vibe, he’s great live. I saw him live and I just thought he’d fit right in with what we’re doing. Alana Springsteen sat in with us on a song when we did Summerfest in Milwaukee and I love her vibe. Her vocal is excellent, the crowd loved her, so I asked her to come along.”

He concluded by praising his third and final tour mate of the upcoming run. “Karley Scott Collins was doing an album with Nathan Chapman, who’s a friend of mine. He called me up and asked me to come and play a solo on one of her songs and I just dug what she was doing. I loved the song, loved her, and thought she’d fit right in as well. So that’s the family.”

A full list of Keith Urban’s upcoming tour dates can be found HERE.