TWO songs into the evening Keith Urban made a promise to his audience that he was gonna turn the Newcastle Entertainment Centre into a "utopian universe".
While it was statement high on hyperbole, Australia's king of Nashville knew how to liven up a Monday night in a manner that no Netflix series can come close to competing with.
For two hours Urban strutted, sang and tore up the Broadmeadow venue in a scintillating performance, which proved the 55-year-old is fitter than some men half his age.
Say what you want about Urban's radio-friendly pop-country sound, the man is a genuine showman.
He had the packed audience eating out of the palm of his hand.
When he wanted the crowd to turn on their mobile phone torches, they did. When he wanted them to sing along to the "guilty pleasure" moment, The Lion Sleeps Tonight, they did.
After opening the show with the southern rock of Tumbleweed and Days Go By, the evening took an unexpected turn when Urban spotted a sign in the audience which read, "you sang at my wedding."
Urban invited the woman on stage which led to a hilarious exchange between the country star, the awestruck Bec from Maitland and her sister Simone.
After grabbing a hug and taking selfies on stage Urban finally asked about the wedding. "You sang Your Everything on the CD," Bec replied to a roar of laughter.
"Apparently I sing at a lot of bloody weddings," Urban laughed.
It's difficult to pigeon hole Urban. While he might sing with a country twang - and it remains the backbone of his music - at times the performance felt like an epic rock show or a slick pop showcase.
There was a cover of Ed Sheeran's Bad Habits, mixed in with Urban's Kiss A Girl and he generously gave with bassist Jerry Flowers and keyboardist Nathan Barlowe the opportunity to sing John Legend's All Of Me and The Eurythmics' Sweet Dreams respectively.
Tracks off Urban's most release album The Speed Of Now Part 1 like God Whispered Your Name and One Too Many - which featured US pop star Pink on the big screen - sat comfortably next to classic hits like Blue Ain't Your Color and Long Hot Summer.
Even if you didn't have tickets for the front row, fans had a chance to get up close and personal with Urban when he took his acoustic set to the stairs halfway into the crowd.
John Denver's Thank God I'm A Country Boy was a nice touch, before a stunning version of You'll Think Of Me threatened to steal the evening. To top it off Urban signed his acoustic guitar and handed it to one lucky punter.
Naturally it was the pop-country classic Somebody Like You that finally brought the audience to their feet.
There were a few dull moments of bland country-pop in the middle of the set and some of Urban's guitar heroics seemed pointless, but overall it was an slick performance from an engaging artist.
I'm unsure if the captivated audience reached a state of utopia, but Urban certainly guided them close. Especially for a Monday night.
