ABC/Randy HolmesBefore he ushered in 2017 Saturday night in Nashville, Keith Urban spent the final moments of 2016 remembering the musical greats we lost last year.
Accompanied predominantly by only his acoustic guitar, Keith kicked off an impressive medley with George Michael’s “Careless Whisper,” less than a week after the death of the former Wham! front man. He segued into composer Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah,” as the crowd at Nashville’s Music City Midnight celebration sang along.
The Aussie superstar marked the passing of the Eagles’ Glenn Frey with his version of “Take It Easy,” before Keith’s wife, actress Nicole Kidman, joined him onstage. The crowd cheered as Nicole danced and sang along to David Bowie’s “Heroes.” Earlier on CNN, Keith had confirmed that the couple’s two daughters were backstage ringing in the new year as well.
Keith tackled Merle Haggard’s classic “Mama Tried,” before his band rejoined him for his take on Prince’s “Purple Rain.” You can check out both the Saturday night performance, as well as a completely acoustic version of the medley Keith posted later, on YouTube.
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