As a longtime Keith Urban fan, I’ve been following the now country music superstar (and I never use that word) since the early 1990s, the announcement of the a Tamworth Country Music Festival show was much more than simply music to my ears – it was unbelievable.

When the media release came through I had to believe it, though, and the dash for tickets began – they were hotter than $100 million jackpot lotto tickets, but I managed to refresh my computer at the right time and snag four tickets.

The wait then began and Tuesday night brought the night we’d all been counting down for and Keith, you did not disappoint; not one bit.

Having watched him perform at West Tamworth League Club where he used to walk down the middle of the tables playing guitar, to Acer Arena and the Tamworth Regional Entertainment and Conference Centre, witnessing the concert at the historic Tamworth Town Hall will stay in my mind forever.

Thanks to my always country-devoted parents, we were in the second row and moshed it up with the best of them (is that even a term?). Keith reminisced about his many times in Tamworth playing at that very venue, including a photo when he was nine years old in front of a sign that is still on the wall at the town hall, to playing Blazes at Wests, and winning Star Maker at the old Workies Club.

You could tell Keith’s love for the Country Music Capital was genuine and heartfelt and this visit is sure not to be his last.

Having Kasey Chambers join Keith on stage added to the nostalgia as he showed a photo of them together when they were much younger featuring a troll doll. There was also the iconic photo of Keith and Troy Cassar-Daley playing outside Cheapa Music – an appearance that is also etched into my memory forever.

Keith doesn’t miss a beat in any concert and I’ve never left a show disappointed, but his Tamworth Town Hall show is one that rates up there among the best due to the atmosphere of the beautiful building and the love that the country artist showed for his audience and the city.

Yes, he performed all his hits, and they were wonderful, but the highlight for me was definitely the memories of Tamworth he shared and the love he has for this beautiful city.

Thank you Keith for your generosity in raising money for Rural Aid and for coming back to Tamworth.