My 15th Birthday is something I will always remember.
On the day, mum and dad gave me my birthday present. It was a ticket to see Keith Urban at the Brisbane Entertainment centre for his High and Alive World Tour. They printed it out and laminated it, so at first, I thought they were joking, because earlier in the year, when the ticket went on sale, they told me it was all sold out. But they got some and were keeping it as a surprise.
Keith has been such a huge inspiration to me over the years and the reason I got into country music. His song, ‘Somebody Like You’ is one of the first of his songs I learnt to play.
I new it was going to be a special concert, and I always wanted to see him, and I heard that in the past he has often got people on stage to play along with him. So, I decided to make a sign that I could hold up at the concert. I also found out that a few years ago, Keith jumped out of a birthday cake for Loretta Lynn, a country music icon, so, I also decided to tell him on the sign that it was my birthday. I also asked if I could play a song with him.
The tickets we had were to stand right up the front, and I wanted to make sure we got right up the front. So, I made Dad go in extra early. Keith wasn’t on till 9pm, but we got there at 4pm. There was quite a bity of standing around, but it was worth it.
But, when we got to the concert, I almost had the sign taken off me. You are only allowed to take in things that are no bigger than A4, and my sign was A3. They stopped us at the first security point and took the sign off me and examined it real close. Then they called the head of security. Dad told them how I had worked on it all night, so in the end the let me in.
We lined up for the next few hours and when they opened the doors I ran for the front of the stage. I actually got in trouble by security and told not to run. But we made it, and had the best position right at the front of the stage.
By this stage it was 6pm, but Keith wasn’t starting till about 9pm. But we couldn’t leave or we would lose our spot. But it was still fun. Chase Mathew was on as the opening act and he was amazing also. We also got to meet lots of people around us and they all could see my sign and that it was my birthday.
Then it happened. Keith started playing. He was behind this huge curtain and you could see his shadow, then when it dropped there, he was. I couldn’t believe how close we were and how much we could see. He played a few songs, and then asked the crowd if anyone was having a birthday. Heaps of people cheered, then the people around me all started pointing to me and my sign.
Keith came over and read the sign and wished me a Happy Birthday. I told him how much he had inspired me with my music, and then he just jumped off the stage and gave me the biggest hug. I was not expecting that.
It was such an awesome moment. Then when he jumped back on stage, he took a selfie of me and him.
I am glad he did, because Dad and I were in shock and Dad tried to take a video of it all, but forgot to press the record button. Thankfully, heaps of people around us caught it on film and then airdropped them to me.
He then went on to play the most amazing show. I have never seen anyone play guitar like he can. It was so good being up so close, because I could see how he was playing and picked up so may tips.
A few days after the concert, I was still on a high, and Chanel 9 News in Brisbane contacted me and asked if they could come up and do a story about me meeting Keith Urban, they came up during the week and filmed the story which was so much fun. It went to air on Saturday night during the News.
So that was my 15th Birthday, one I will never forget. I want to thank my parents for buying me the ticket and Keith Urban for being so kind and stopping his show just for me.