Entertain This Idea

As a proud, up-to-date, dues-paying member of the Country Music Association (CMA), I’m now faced with my annual, stomach-churning dilemma: who the hell to choose in the final round of voting for the “52nd Annual CMA Awards” coming up on Wednesday, November 14th?

Voting opens Monday, October 1st, and – as an example – I don’t know what happens in the Female Vocalist category. Is Carrie Underwood a shoo-in? Does Miranda Lambert steal it like she seems to every year at the Academy Of Country Music (ACM) Awards? Is Kacey Musgraves this year’s dark horse? Will Kelsea Ballerini emerge as a top-tier artist? Is Maren Morris still the “it” girl? She did have one of the biggest, most infectious hits of the year – but it was “The Middle,” on Pop radio, a fantastic collaboration with Zedd.

On the Male side, sheesh, I mean, just flip a coin. All five nominees had a great year. If any one of these guys is announced in November – Dierks Bentley, Luke Combs, Thomas Rhett, Chris Stapleton, or Keith Urban – I'm totally good with that. That’s why picking one is so damned hard.

I love all the Album Of The Year nominees; all five earned heavy rotation in the car, and none ever became fatiguing to me. I’m down to two finalists: Kacey Musgraves’ “Golden Hour” is a front-to-back mesmerizing masterpiece with no radio hits to speak of, but I just don’t care. Dierks Bentley’s “The Mountain” is the finest work of his career; it is interesting, textured, and captivating, and it reveals something different to me with each listen. Please don’t misunderstand, I mean no disrespect to Keith Urban’s daring “GraffitiU,” Chris Stapleton’s brilliant “From A Room: Volume 2,” or Thomas Rhett’s fun and engaging “Life Changes.” But, Dierks’ and Kacey’s are stand outs among the stand outs. I have no earthly idea which one will get my vote.

I could go on and on with every nominee, but don’t worry, I won’t. Choosing is hard. Except for one category.

Keith Urban is the Entertainer Of The Year.

Try not to be shocked. Anybody who has read anything I’ve ever written about Urban for the past 12 years since I’ve been in this role knows he’s a favorite. So, sure…I’m biased. Guilty as charged, your honor. But, let me also say that during the past 12 months, I’ve had the privilege of seeing all five EOTY nominees play live, and this decision was probably the hardest.

With Urban, Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Luke Bryan, and Chris Stapleton, we’re talking about five enormously gifted artists who all pride themselves on hitting the road all year and working their freakin’ asses off. And, they do. These are like the finest, high-performance, luxury automobiles on the highway, separated by very small, subtle nuances at the end of the day.

Not voting for Aldean, Bryan, or Chesney may seem preposterous to some. These three guys played stadiums this year. I think there’s a small handful of artists – from any genre – who can: A) sell enough seats in a football or baseball stadium; and, B) command the attention of upwards of 40,000 people. Chesney is a master at this. I saw his Nissan Stadium show in Nashville this Summer in oppressive August heat. He was dripping wet within two songs and kept right on blazing through an up-tempo-only set that went on for hours. He never seemed out of breath, even though he probably ran ten miles or more that night while on stage. His crowd can only be described as a large body of humans, gathered in one place, all losing their shit simultaneously.

Aldean’s Bridgestone show earlier this month was a blitzkrieg of hits, powered by what is essentially a relentless, muscular rock band. Aldean enters the stage airborne, shot from a cannon beneath the stage, and soars all night long. My ears were ringing all weekend, and I was totally okay with that.

Admittedly, I saw a different version of Bryan’s 2018 show, as I caught him during his street party helping to mark the opening of his rooftop bar – Luke’s 32 Bridge – on Nashville’s Lower Broadway. But, the crowd was estimated at a stadium-sized 30,000. Bryan has a large catalog of radio hits and a personality that could win over the most curmudgeonly human on earth. You don’t like Luke Bryan in concert? That’s a YOU problem. His onstage work ethic is something that aspiring young artists should take serious note of.

Stapleton isn’t one to run around, sweat, pose, prance, or mug to the crowd. There are no pyrotechnics; there are no creative calisthenics. There’s only his amazing, one-of-a-kind voice, augmented by his wife, Morgane’s one-of-a-kind, amazing vocals. As a Stapleton fan, I don’t need – nor do I want – him running around. I only need this guy to stay put at center stage and blow my mind with his songwriting, his underrated guitar work, his aforementioned singing chops, and the best damned band intro I’ve ever seen in my personal live-music-watching history.

Having said all that, why does Keith Urban get my Entertainer Of The Year vote above the other four? To start, his show is founded on 20 years of radio airplay success. That’s a given, and something which can also be said for Chesney. However, Urban’s water-on-stone effect – to me – is how he incorporates his personal philosophy of “being present” into every moment of his show. The emotional takeaway of a Keith Urban concert is built upon an accrual of subtle nuances, rather than something mercilessly pounded into you. And, that takeaway is this: although you’ve just been to an arena filled with up to 18,000 people, you feel as though you just saw Urban play an intimate gathering among family and friends in your living room.

It would probably be enough to watch Urban simply knock out string-bending guitar solos all night long. As a musician, he’s amazing, flamboyant, and has the kind of rock star swagger which is entertaining on its own. All those things are present in his show, but with an added touch. After a few powerful songs to begin his show, Urban will stop the music. Many artists are hesitant to do that, fearing a loss of momentum. (If you’re in radio, it’s like the fear of dead air.) Not Urban. He says hello, checks in with every section, then reads a bunch of signs – of which there are hundreds. Inevitably, one sign owner is summoned to the stage for a personal encounter with him that never feels rushed or perfunctory. At the Nashville show, he brought out his wife, the Oscar-winning movie star Nicole Kidman, to say hello to the evening’s chosen fan. Kidman then brought out her BFF and HBO “Big Little Lies” co-star – also an Oscar winner – Reese Witherspoon to say hello. Neither Oscar winner seemed put off. Witherspoon appeared just as giddy as the fan at being onstage with Keith Urban. A spontaneous selfie ensued; for all we know, later, cake was served.

Earlier this year, during a pop-up show at a small club in Nashville to announce the “GraffitiU” album and tour, Urban brought up a young lady named Ashley Ryan from the crowd to help reveal tour dates and details. During a brief onstage Q&A conducted by Urban, we found out Ryan was a Belmont student studying music. Urban invited her to sing “Without You” – which, she did – then invited her to come back to sing at his August date at Music City’s Bridgestone Arena. True to his word, there was Ryan again last month, onstage in front of 18,000 fans, once again performing “Without You” accompanied by Urban. She was terrific, and – most importantly – Urban afforded her the same respect and dignity as Carrie Underwood or his current tour opener, Kelsea Ballerini, while performing with her.

Again, that was a moment when the concert came to a halt, yet nobody was fidgeting in their seat wondering, “When is he gonna start singing again?” These are “being present” moments. These are personal moments that not only connected with Ashley Ryan on stage, but everyone in the audience. Just as there is a unique ability to keep a stadium crowd fixated, there is also a talent for making an arena-sized audience feel welcome, appreciated, warm, and like a member of the family.

Hey, I get one vote, and you have yours. And, you may have just as many moments from any one of the other five Entertainer Of The Year nominees, because – as I said earlier – every one of these guys is awesome, and I’d pay money to see them again. Each of them inspired me, and really, we’re talking finite degrees of separation between the five. Keith Urban gets my vote, though, and I think he’s due. He’s won the CMA Entertainer Of The Year trophy before, in 2005. He beat out Chesney, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, and Alan Jackson that year in what was considered an upset win. It should be pointed out, though, that Urban’s Entertainer Award in 2005 came in the middle of a three-year reign as CMA Male Vocalist of the Year. He has a chance to pull that double again in 2018, with a possible Album Of The Year prize, too.

As far as the remaining categories, as I said, choosing is hard. Luckily, we all have until 6p (CT) on Tuesday, October 23rd to noodle on those. Good luck, and God speed to all the nominees – and every voter.