After Blake Shelton performed his theatrical opening version of ‘Footloose’ and the Band Perry claimed the first award of the night with their single ‘If I Die Young,’ Keith Urban brought Bridgestone Arena to its feet with ‘You Gonna Fly.’

Before Urban even appeared on the central stage in his signature black T-shirt and jeans, hosts Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley pulled out Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman “Barbies,” which bore a similarity to the celebrity couple — aside from the fact that Nicole’s auburn coiffure looked more like Disney’s Ariel when converted to Barbie form.

Launching into his hit, Urban kicked up the energy of the evening, walking out into the crowd and churning out a crowd-pleasing guitar solo on his way to a second stage. Though his apparel was considerably less country than his cowboy hat-clad peers, Urban had no problem working the country crowd. Shaking his hips to the groove and interacting with the high-energy fans, he went out with a kick, leaving the stage for Sara Evans and her performance of ‘A Little Bit Stronger.’

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