Keith Urban rocks the American Express, signs a fan's banjo

Keith Urban is a country singer, but his performance on Friday at The American Express golf tournament was all rock ‘n’ roll intensity and attitude.

Urban didn't mention golf during the 90-minute set at PGA West in La Quinta, but did thank a local friend for taking him to play some pickleball at a local court. Does the Australian singer often shed his country swagger to enjoy a game of golf? Unclear, but there are photos of him and his wife, actress Nicole Kidman, playing a course in Maui in 2010.

About 7,000 attendees of the tournament packed into the venue Jan. 19 to enjoy Urban's first performance in the Coachella Valley since 2018 when he headlined the Stagecoach country music festival. Early in the day, several hours before the show opened, a group of four women from different parts of the U.S. who've become friends through attending his concerts were at the head of the line.

Kimberly Lehman of Elkhart, Indiana, said she has seen Urban perform over 30 times; Jen Huang of Murrieta, California, said she plans to attend Urban’s performance at the NBA Crossover Concert Series with Lehman next month in Indianapolis.

“We’ll see him anywhere — golf, basketball, football or hockey — it’s Keith and it doesn’t matter,” Huang said.

Joni Hally of Yuma, Arizona, said she’s also in another group of friends who share a love for Urban.

“I had a meet-up before a concert at the Santa Barbara Bowl and 18 of us showed up, and I’m still friends with all of them,” Hally said.

While talking about what each of them enjoy about Urban, Jeana Leon of Frisco, Texas, said “He’s good to his fans.” Lehman pointed to her t-shirt, which said “Be Kind,” the same adjective she used to describe Urban.

He signed a fan's banjo early in the set

Urban and his band walked on stage without an intro or a spectacle and immediately sang the first verse of “Wild Hearts” acapella before the music came rushing in. During the second tune, “Put You In A Song,” Urban played a lengthy guitar solo that would usually be reserved for the middle or end of a set.

More: Keith Urban setlist: American Express concert in La Quinta

Before continuing with "Days Go By," some of the signs in the audience caught Urban’s attention, and one in particular was a fascinating request: “Would you sign my banjo?” He invited the fan to come up on stage so he could sign it.

A teenage girl carrying a banjo, who identified herself as Penelope from Orange County, said her inspiration to play the instrument came from Urban. He asked her if she could play something for him but it was out of tune, he attempted to tune it and asked "Who got you this piece of crap?" Penelope said it was her mother, Becky, who was standing in the audience with the sign.

Penelope's debut was toiled when Urban said the banjo needed new strings, but he did autograph it for her.

Even though most of the songs were flawless, Urban said almost halfway into the concert that it was his first in two months and he and the band were playing a little "loose." Through the end of 2023, he performed several shows as part of his third Las Vegas residency production at the Bakkt Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino.

The 90-minute set was similar to one of his residency shows — with some variations. A few highlights were toward the end during the band intros: Bassist Jerry Flowers performed a cover of John Legend's "All Of Me," multi-instrumentalist Nathan Barlowe did an energetic take on Lenny Kravitz' "Are You Gonna Go My Way?" and during "Kiss A Girl," Urban combined the tune with a portion of Ed Sheeran's "Bad Habits."

At one point toward the end of the show, Urban walked through the barricade that extended into the crowd around the perimeter of the sound booth. When he made it back in front of the microphone, he acknowledged the time and said the show was supposed to be near finished.

"We've got nowhere to be other than right here performing for you."

Urban ended the set with "Blue Ain't Your Color" and "Wasted Time." He thanked the crowd and the American Express event volunteers, exiting the stage as Kim Wilde's power-pop anthem "Kids In America" blasted through the speakers.

Desert Sun reporter Brian Blueskye covers arts and entertainment. He can be reached at brian.blueskye@desertsun.com or on Twitter at @bblueskye.

This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Review: Keith Urban rocks California crowd, signs a fan's banjo