REVIEW: Keith Urban

That sound heard Sunday by all the walking jukeboxes in Nashville was Keith Urban's "ca-ching." In a few short years, the country artist from Down Under who sings like a rocker from down South has become a mainstream superstar by breaking out of the Music Row mold.

Unlike most Nashville cats, Urban writes most of his songs; plays lead guitar, bass and piano in the studio and on the road; sings great; and looks good doing it. With a little help from a Mellon Arena crowd energized by Sunday's Steelers victory, a recently refreshed and rehabbed Urban exploded with his best Pittsburgh performance to date.

No hats. No country music cliches. Defining the progressive wing of contemporary mainstream country, Urban rocked like a '70s pop superstar. The crowd replied by frequently interrupting the star to sing along en masse.

Songs in Urban's free-range countrified rock show exceeded the familiar studio arrangements. Backed by a five-piece band, Steve Wariner's "Where the Blacktop Ends" was stretched into a rousing rocker, "Faster Car" throbbed to Urban's persistent bass line, and "Days Go By" and "Better Half" wafted on a gentle groove when the entire band reassembled at the end of a long runway for an acoustic mini-set. And Urban trusted the strength of Radney Foster's "Raining on Sunday" to strip the hit song to its core, performing solo with an acoustic guitar in one of the highlights of an outstanding two-hour-plus performance.

Gary Allan opened with an intense 45-minute set that showcased his Todd Snider hit "Alright Guy," Garth Brooks' "From Where I'm Sitting" and his own "Learning How to Bend" from his newly released CD.

-- By John Hayes, Post-Gazette staff writer

PREVIEW: IonSound

Ever since the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble relocated to the summer, the "regular" concert season has been wide open to local contemporary ensembles. Lately, a few are answering the call.

One is IonSound, composed of Peggy Yoo (flute), Kathleen Costello (clarinet), Laura Motchalov (violin), Elisa Kohanski (cello), Rob Frankenberry (piano) and Eliseo Rael (percussion). It will celebrate the 100th birthday of Olivier Messiaen (1908-92) this season by playing one of his works in every concert, concluding with "Quartet for the End of Time." The next concert will be at 8 p.m. Friday at Bellefield Hall with works by Jeff Nytch, Kevin Puts, Joseph Koykkar and Messiaen. The concert will incorporate dance by Jeff Davis of Attack Theatre.

-- By Andrew Druckenbrod, Post-Gazette classical music critic