Keith Urban took the stage in a notably low-key mood during his first performance following news of his split from Nicole Kidman. The 57-year-old country singer left out a love song inspired by his estranged wife from his setlist when he performed on Thursday, October 2, at Giant Center in Hershey, Pennsylvania, a show attended by Us Weekly.
Urban removed “The Fighter,” a 2016 collaboration with Carrie Underwood, from his concert after reports emerged earlier in the week that he and Kidman, 58, had ended their marriage. The song includes the lyrics, “What if I fall? / I won’t let you fall / What if I cry? / I’ll never make you cry / And if I get scared? / I’ll hold you tighter / When they’re tryna get to you, baby, I’ll be the fighter.”
In a March 2017 interview with The Boot, Urban explained that the song was inspired by his relationship with the Oscar-winning actress. “It was just a very quick, quick song to write, because I literally thought about Nic and I and our relationship in the beginning, and some of the things we had said all went into that song,” he recalled.
Urban is currently on his High and Alive World Tour, where he previously performed “The Fighter.” At a recent show, he even altered the lyrics to give a shout-out to his guitarist, Maggie Baugh.
Instead of singing, “When they’re tryna get to you, baby, I’ll be the fighter,” Urban changed it to, “When they’re tryna get to you, Maggie, I’ll be your guitar player,” according to social media footage. Baugh, 25, was not onstage with Urban during the Hershey performance.
Us Weekly confirmed on Monday, September 29, that Urban and Kidman had separated after 19 years of marriage. Kidman filed for divorce one day later, citing irreconcilable differences, and listed their separation date as the same day she filed. The actress requested to be named the “primary residential parent” of their two children, Sunday, 17, and Faith, 14.
Kidman submitted a marital dissolution agreement signed by both her and Urban, which included a parenting plan, a child support plan, and a “parenting seminar order.” Under the parenting plan, the couple’s minor children will spend 306 days of the year with their mother and 59 days with their father, including every other weekend.
While the parents agreed to make all major decisions regarding Sunday and Faith jointly, the plan notes that “in the unlikely event that the parties do not agree on a major decision for either minor child, [Kidman] shall have final decision-making authority.”