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Keith Urban’s First Show Without Band Members Had A Hitch

Keith Urban chatted with Q with Tom Power and talked about the changes in his band and how things didn’t go so well in his first club show since he…

Keith Urban poses in a blue shirt and blazer.
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Keith Urban chatted with Q with Tom Power and talked about the changes in his band and how things didn't go so well in his first club show since he split from two key members of his band just months before kicking off the 2025 "High and Alive World Tour." The change affected Jerry Flowers, his bandleader of 25 years, and Nathan Barlowe, a talented multi-instrumentalist.

Keith said in a podcast of his club show in Toronto at Horseshoe Tavern, "I dismantled the band I had and I'm rebuilding a new one, but I haven't built it yet and I had a club show that came before I had a chance to build my band."

He continued, "So, we had a fill-in drummer and my keyboard player played bass, kind of like The Doors, ya know? We didn't have a bass player.

A couple of times, Urban says he had to remind his keyboard player that he was supposed to be doing double duty. He said "We were playing a song, and I'm like, 'Where's the low end?'" Then he realized that the keyboard player had forgotten that "he's got to play bass, too."

He noted, "You can either play and entertain, or you're just gonna die."

When Keith parted with members of his longtime band a few weeks ago, Flowers shared the news on Instagram along with images of him with Urban on stage. He wrote, "It’s with a heavy but very full heart that after 25 years on stage with Keith Urban, Keith has decided to make a lineup change and I will no longer be in the band. I have and always will have the utmost respect and love for Keith and I treasure the amazing years we had together. I want to thank all the fans who have showed me so much love for so many years and I hope I was a small part of bringing you joy and happiness thru our shows."

He concluded, "Now I’m going to open myself up to new opportunities and I’m excited to see what’s next for me. Thank you!!!"

Many fans reacted to the news, including one who wrote, "Jerry you are totally amazing, you were one of the reasons I always wanted to go see the concerts it will never be the same without you however someone will grab you up you are so good."

Jason Aldean bass player Tully Kennedy commented, "This is a massive loss for Keith and all his fans. You are such a badass and I gotta say this makes no sense."

Nancy Brooks has been working in the country music industry for almost 30 years. She has interviewed pretty much any country star you can think of. In the late 1990s, she started working with Dolly Parton. And yes, Nancy reports that Parton is as sweet as you would think. She loves her life in country music and has been backstage at every CMA Awards show since the late 1990s. Many of her stories are from her one-on-one interviews. She was there at the beginning of the incredible careers of many music superstars today, including Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, and Blake Shelton, and has interviewed them multiple times throughout the years.