>> Stephen: HEY, EVERYBODY!
WELCOME BACK TO "THE LATE SHOW"!
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, MY FIRST GUEST IS THE FOUR-TIME
GRAMMY AWARD-WINNING SINGER AND SONGWRITER WITH HITS INCLUDING
"SOMEBODY LIKE YOU," "STUPID BOY," AND "BLUE AIN'T YOUR
COLOR."
PLEASE WELCOME KEITH URBAN!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) ( BAND PLAYING )
>> CAN'T BE TOO CAREFUL THESE DAYS.
>> Stephen: WELCOME TO THE SHOW.
>> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>> Stephen: NICE TO HAVE YOU ON.
>> NICE TO BE ON, THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: I'M NOT BREAKING ANY NEWS HERE.
EVERYBODY KNOWS AMERICA'S ONE OF THE WORLD'S BIGGEST COUNTRY
MUSIC STARS BUT MAYBE NOT EVERYBODY KNOWS YOU GREW UP IN
AUSTRALIA AND WERE BORN IN NEW ZEALAND DOWN THERE IN GOD'S
COUNTRY.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
>> Stephen: WAS COUNTRY MUSIC BIG GROWING UP DOWN THERE?
I'M A LITTLE BIT OLDER THAN YOU ARE, BUT IN AMERICA, EVEN THOUGH
YOU GREW UP IN THE SOUTH, YOU WEREN'T EXPOSED TO THAT MUCH
COUNTRY MUSIC.
WHERE DID YOU LEARN IT?
>> MY PARENTS' RECORD COLLECTIONS.
MY DAD PARTICULARLY LOVED COUNTRY MUSIC.
I GREW UP WITH THE RECORDS PLAYING, MERLE HAGGARD, CHARLEY
PRIDE, JOHNNY CASH.
>> Stephen: THAT'S NICE.
DO YOU REMEMBER THE FIRST CONCERT YOU WENT TO?
>> THE FIRST ONE WAS JOHNNY CASH WHEN I WAS FIVE YEARS OLD.
>> Stephen: WOW!
I'M JEALOUS, I NEVER GOT TO SEE CATCH LIVE.
THOSE ARE COOL PARENTS.
>> CRAZY, REALLY, I THINK, BECAUSE THAT KIND OF CROWD WHEN
YOU'RE FIVE YEARS OLD, IT'S INSANE.
THEY WERE HAMMERED BEYOND HAMMERED, THE WHOLE AUDIENCE,
INCLUDING MY DAD.
>> Stephen: WHERE WAS IT?
AT A PLACE CALLED FESTIVE HALL IN BRISBANE AND IT'S A
BOXING VENUE, SO HOLDS ABOUT 5,000 PEOPLE READY TO GO.
AND IT WAS JUST ROWDY.
BUT WHEN YOU'RE FIVE, IT WAS, YOU KNOW, LIKE A STADIUM TO ME,
AND THIS CROWD WAS SO NOISY AND INTENSE AND ROWDY, AND I WAS
SITTING THERE, AND MY BROTHER WHO IS TWO YEARS OLDER THAN ME,
WE HAVE OUR WESTERN SHIRTS AND BOLO TIES AND THE WHOLE THING,
AND I JUST REMEMBERED THIS ROAR, THIS CROWD LIKE I NEVER HEARD
BEFORE, AND THE LIGHTS WENT OUT AND IT GOT LOUDER AND I REMEMBER
THIS GUY WALKING OUT ON STAGE WITH A GUITAR AND A SPOTLIGHT
AND HE TALKED A AND THE WHOLE CROWD WENT TO THIS QUIET HUSH
AND I SAID, WHAT'S GOING ON.
>> Stephen: ALL IN BLACK, I'M GUESSING.
>> YEAH, IT WAS AMAZING.
DID YOU EVER GET TO TELL HIM THAT?
>> NO, I NEVER MET JOHNNY.
I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO TELL HIM THAT.
>> Stephen: HERE'S A PICTURE OF YOU AND MY COAL AT DOLLY WOOD
RIGHT THERE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> Stephen: THIS IS YOUR INSTAGRAM FOR VALENTINE'S DAY.
>> RIGHT.
>> Stephen: YOUR DAUGHTERS RE ELEVEN AND NINE.
>> YEAH.
>> Stephen: DO YOU TAKE THEM TO CONCERTS?
WHAT'S THE FIRST CONCERT YOU TOOK THEM TO?
CAN YOU BEAT JOHNNY CASH?
>> YOU CAN'T BEAT JOHNNY CASH.
WE TOOK THEM TO SEE THE KIDS BOP THING THAT GOES AROUND.
>> Stephen: THAT'S MORE AGE APPROPRIATE.
>> THEY WERE, LIKE, FIVE AND THREE OR SOMETHING.
>> Stephen: SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT CROWD.
>> A LITTLE BIT MORE SOBER.
>> Stephen: YEAH.
JUST A LITTLE BIT.
>> Stephen: DO YOU SEND THEM IN OR GO IN.
>> WE WENT IN, ALL FOUR OF US.
IT WAS AT THE RYMAN AUDITORIUM, AND WE WERE ON THE BALCONY AND
THE BAND COMES OUT AND ARE ROCKING AT ALL THE COVER SONGS.
I LOOKED UP AND THE TWO GIRLS WERE LEANING OVER THE BALCONY
GOING CRAZY, HEAD BANGING, IT WAS AWESOME.
>> Stephen: I WANT TO ASK YOU A THING ABOUT DOLLYWOOD IN
PIGEON FORD, TENNESSEE.
HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN A DOLLY FAN?
BECAUSE I USED TO WATCH HER ON THE PORTER WAGONER SHOW WHEN I
WAS GROWING UP.
>> I PROBABLY HEARD OF HER WHEN I WAS SEVEN, EIGHT, NINE YEARS
OLD, DID A FEW OF HER SONGS.
>> Stephen: I KNOW YOU DID BECAUSE WE FOUND A TAPE OF YOU,
I DON'T KNOW WHAT SHOW THIS WAS ON, BUT YOU'RE TEN YEARS OLD.
>> OH, NO.
>> Stephen: DOING DOLLY ON TAPE.
JIM?
( SINGING ) ( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE )
>> Stephen: YOU SOUND A LITTLE LIKE HER!
YOU GOT IT.
YOU GOT THAT DOLLY TREMALO THERE.
>> MY VOICE HADN'T EVEN BROKEN YET SO I COULD SING IN HER KEY.
( LAUGHTER ) >> Stephen: REALLY, YOU HAVE
BEEN PERFORMING SINCE YOU WERE QUITE YOUNG.
>> RIGHT.
>> Stephen: HOW OLD WERE YOU WHEN YOU STARRED PLAYING?
>> SIX WHEN I STARTED PLAYING GUITAR.
>> Stephen: AND A LOT OF KIDS HAVE IMAGINARY FRIENDS, BUT I
UNDERSTAND THAT YOU HAD AN IMAGINARY BAND.
>> WELL -- >> Stephen: YEAH.
WHAT IT WAS, MY MOM AND DAD USED TO TAKE US TO SEE A BAND
CALLED COUNTRY FEVER EVERY SUNDAY AFTERNOON AT THIS
FOOTBALL CLUB.
THEY PLAYED ALL THE TOP 40 STUFF.
I THOUGHT THEY WERE AWESOME.
I THOUGHT, MAN, I WISH I HAD A BAND.
WE HAD A GARAGE SEPARATE TO THE HOUSE, AND I BUILT A LITTLE
STAGE ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE GARAGE WITH THE WALL TO HAVE THE
GARAGE, THE OUTSIDE WALL OF THE GARAGE AS A SORT OF BACKDROP TO
MY STAGE.
>> Stephen: OF COURSE.
INVITE PEOPLE TO THE LAWN AND I'LL PUT ON A CONCERT.
I WAS, LIKE, I NEED A BAND NAME.
I THOUGHT I'LL CALL MYSELF ROCK FEVER.
I SAID TO MY DAD, CAN I SPRAY PAINT ROCK FEVER ON THE SIDE OF
THE GARAGE?
HE'S, LIKE, NO!
( LAUGHTER ) SO, OBVIOUSLY, SORRY.
SO I GOT THE SPRAY CAN OUT AND I SPRAYED ROCK FEVER ON THE SIDE
OF THE GARAGE.
>> Stephen: BECAUSE THAT'S ROCK AND ROLL.
>> I WASN'T THINKING IT THROUGH AT ALL.
HE CAME HOME FROM WORK AND ALL HELL BROKE LOSE AND THERE WAS
THIS BIG ROCK FEVER THING.
SO I GOT PUNISHED.
>> Stephen: WHAT WAS THE PUNISHMENT?
>> THEY TOOK ME INTO THE ROOM AND THEY SAID, WE HAVE A GOOD
THINK ABOUT THIS AND THEY SAID, WE THINK YOUR PUNISHMENT IS
WE'RE GOING TO TAKE YOUR GUITAR AWAY FROM YOU FOR TWO WEEKS.
( AUDIENCE REACTS ) WELL, I DIDN'T THINK THAT.
INSIDE, I WAS, LIKE, THAT'S IT?
THAT'S A PRETTY HIGH CRIME, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?
>> Stephen: SURE, YOU WERE TOLD NOT TO DO IT AND DID IT
ANYWAY, THAT'S A MORTAL SIN.
>> PLUS IT'S NOT GOING TO COME OFF THE GARAGE WALL EASILY,
RIGHT, SO -- ON THE OUTSIDE I'M, LIKE, PLEASE, NO!
AND ON THE INSIDE, IT'S, I JUST GOT AWAY WITH MURDER, IT'S
FANTASTIC!
SEVERAL DAYS AFTER THAT, I SAID, I'D LOVE TO PLAY MY GUITAR, CAN
I JUST GRAB IT OUT OF THE CLOSET?
SHE'S, NO, TWO WEEKS.
AND LATER I SAID IT AGAIN AND SHE SAID, NO, TWO WEEKS.
IT TURNED OUT TO BE THE BEST PUNISHMENT BECAUSE TOWARD THE
END OF THAT, I WAS TEN YEARS OLD, I GOT ON A BUS AND WENT
INTO THE CITY AND GOT A GUITAR STORE AND GOT A GUITAR SO I
COULD PLAY.
SO WHEN I GOT THE GUITAR BACK, I NEVER LET IT GO.
>> Stephen: TAKE AWAY SOMETHING YOUR CHILD DESIRES AND
THEY'LL DESIRE IT MORE.
( LAUGHTER ) >> EXACTLY.
>> Stephen: A NEW SINGLE AHEAD OF THE ALBUM.
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO PLAY FOR US TONIGHT?
>> WE HAVE A COUPLE OF THINGS COMING OUT.
TONIGHT WE'LL PLAY "GOD WHISPERED YOUR NAME," IT'S NEW.
>> Stephen: "GOD WHISPERED YOUR NAME."
>>YEAH.
>> Stephen: THANKS SO MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
STICK AROUND FOR A PERFORMANCE BY KEITH URBAN!
( CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ) BACK WITH CASEY WILSON!
STICK AROUND, EVERYBODY!