Keith Urban hit the stage this past Thursday, October 2nd, at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania. It was his first concert since news broke about his split from wife Nicole Kidman. You might expect a somber mood given the circumstances, but the country superstar was reportedly in good spirits. He wasn’t wearing his wedding ring, a clear sign things had changed.
During the show, Urban connected with his fans in a big way. Reports from a well-known entertainment publication who attended the show state that while singing "Kiss a Girl," he grabbed a fan’s phone and made a FaceTime call to their friend. Later, in a heartfelt performance of the breakup anthem "You’ll Think of Me," he tweaked the lyrics. Instead of "Take your space and take your reasons," he powerfully added a word, singing "Your bulls*** reasons." This small change spoke volumes to many in the audience.
Interestingly, Urban’s usual guitarist, Maggie Baugh, was noticeably absent from the stage for this Thursday night performance. Her absence quickly became a talking point among those following the singer’s personal life.
The news of Urban and Kidman’s divorce first surfaced earlier that week. A prominent entertainment channel, Us Weekly, confirmed on Monday, September 29th, that the couple had parted ways after 19 years of marriage. Kidman, who is 58, filed for divorce the very next day, on September 30th. She cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for their separation. Urban is 57.
Along with her divorce filing, Kidman also submitted a detailed marital dissolution agreement. This document, signed by both her and Urban, included a parenting plan for their children, a child support plan, and even an order for a "parenting seminar." Kidman had signed the agreement on September 6th, and Urban on August 29th. The official date of their separation was listed as Tuesday, September 30th, the same day Kidman filed the papers.
The news came as a shock to some fans, though others had noticed a shift. People following the stars observed that neither Urban nor Kidman had posted about each other on social media in several months. Urban’s last social media post featuring Kidman was in May. That was after he won the Triple Crown award at the Academy of Country Music Awards. Kidman, an Oscar winner, had posted an anniversary tribute to Urban in June.
Keith Urban made a FaceTime call to a fan during his concert on October 2nd. Courtesy of Us Weekly’s Elise Nelson
The former couple shares two daughters: Sunday Rose, 17, and Faith, 14. Kidman also has two older children, Isabella, 32, and Connor, 30, from her previous marriage to actor Tom Cruise. The last time Urban and Kidman were seen together in public was back in June, attending a soccer game in Nashville.
Urban is currently on his "High and Alive World Tour," which kicked off in May in Orange Beach, Alabama. The tour is set to wrap up on Friday, October 17th, in Nashville.
Before Kidman officially filed for divorce, Urban had already made headlines with a subtle lyric change. During one of his concerts, days before the divorce papers were filed, he altered the words to "The Fighter," his duet with Carrie Underwood. The original line goes, "When they try to get to you, baby, I’ll be the fighter." However, in a video posted on Instagram on Saturday, September 27th, Urban sang, "When they try to get to you, Maggie, I’ll be your guitar man." He was clearly giving a shout-out to his guitarist and rising country music star, Maggie Baugh.
Nicole Kidman Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images
Baugh, 25, shared the video on her own social media, adding a string of surprised emojis. "Did he just say that?" she wrote in the caption, clearly thrilled. Once the video resurfaced after Urban and Kidman’s split became public, some fans began to guess that this lyric change was a subtle hint about the impending breakup. Urban has not publicly spoken about the lyric change. He did not perform "The Fighter" at his Thursday concert.
Baugh previously shared how Urban discovered her. He invited her to play with him at the CMT Music Awards in April 2024. The Grammy winner was so impressed that he soon asked her to join his touring band as well. She told Pittsburgh Music Magazine last year, "Working with Keith was like going to rock star school. He’s a musical encyclopedia."