Keith Urban kicked off his Graffiti U World Tour with opener Kelsea Ballerini on June 15.
The 60-plus-date trek has already made stops in St. Louis, Indianapolis, Toronto, Salt Lake City, Denver, Philadelphia and more, with future dates in Chicago, Cincinnati, Nashville, Vancouver, Phoenix, New Orleans, Dallas and more.
While Kelsea has been part of some big tours over the last three years—including Lady Antebellum’s You Look Good World Tour (2107) and Rascal Faltts’ Rhythm and Roots Tour (2016—Graffiti U is the biggest in terms of number of performances and, most likely, attendance.
As Keith told Kix Brooks of American Country Countdown, he picked Kelsea to join him on tour because she has the “hunger,” in addition to an affinity for one of his Australian countrymen.
“She married an Aussie, and I thought, ‘Cool, that’s good enough for me [laughing],’” says Keith in reference to Kelsea’s husband Morgan Evans. “I like Kelsea. I like her spirit. I like people putting good in the world, you know? She’s just got a good light, got a good message, and she’s a really good writer, and I think she’s got that hunger as an artist to keep growing. I know when Miranda Lambert came out and opened for us many, many years ago, she’d be at the front every night just watching like a hawk and learning. I was really taken by that. I always remember that. I love those kind of artists. I mean, that’s what I did. That’s what I still do. I’m still watching and learning all the time. Kelsea’s got that in her.”
