Urban To Continue CMHOF Benefit

Keith Urban began his All For The Hall benefit concerts for the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2009.  He did two more: 2010 and 2012.  This week, Keith Urban told Country Countdown USA’s Lon Helton that he will do it again next year. “Oh definitely.  I look forward to this every year.  It’s a lot of fun for me. I love getting to play with all these different people, like Don Williams and Merle Haggard.  When am I gonna do that in my life?”  This year’s show featured groups, including Lady Antebellum, The Band Perry, The Oak Ridge Boys, Alabama, and Diamond Rio.  Keith told Lon he hasn’t begun to think about a theme for next year’s show: ” I don’t know just yet, but I’ve got some ideas for a theme.”

Having so many country legends in one show made for a few challenges.  Keith told Lon about his favorite moment from the night: “The funny part is we were trying to think of a finale, and I’m thinking of all these classic songs.  So Vince says, ‘Well this whole tribute is to bands.’ So I thought maybe Oak Ridge Boys or Statler Brothers?  And Vince says, ‘No, man, The Beatles! We should do a Beatles song.’  So I went, ‘But Vince, we’re going to have Merle Haggard, he’s not gonna play a Beatles song.’  Vince goes, ‘I think he will.’  So we chose I Saw Her Standing There, and Merle came in for sound check, and we’re like, ‘Merle would you have any interest in sitting in with us,’ and he goes, ‘Absolutely!’  And he was up there ripping a solo in that song was my favorite moment of the whole night.”

LISTEN: 12-39 Keith3

The Oak Ridge Boys were part of the benefit concert, and the group’s Joe Bonsall told us his favorite moment of the night. “For Keith to invite us to that was an honor.  But the greatest thing was when all us Opry members went out there and invited Keith to become an Opry member, it was great to be on the stage for that.  To me that was the epitome of the night.”   Keith said, “One of the great things about the Oak Ridge Boys, you watch them come out, they’re seasoned pros.  When they walk out on that stage in an arena, and instantly dominate that entire crowd, I’m standing behind them playing Elivira, that’s how you do it!  That’s why they’re the Oak Ridge Boys.  That stuff fills me with so much joy.  There’s no substitute for playing for years and years.  When you see that on stage, you realize why these guys are legends.  It’s really important for new country audiences to see that.  To see Dolly Parton walk out and slay an audience, you go, that’s how you do it right there.  It’s a new audience every night.  That’s the thing.”

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