Keith Urban has been announced as the headlining superstar for CBS's new country music discovery series 'The Road.' The show aims to revolutionize the traditional music competition format with a fresh approach to finding emerging country talent.

Unlike conventional music competitions, 'The Road' eliminates nationwide voting and multiple rounds. Instead, emerging artists will open for Urban at live concerts, where randomly selected audience members will vote for their favorite performers immediately after the shows.

The competition will film across seven dates in March and April 2024:

• Fort Worth (March 2)
• Dallas (March 5)
• Oklahoma City (March 9)
• Tulsa (March 12)
• Memphis (March 24)
• Nashville (March 28 and April 2)

These free-to-attend concerts are separate from Urban's upcoming High and Alive World Tour. Shows will run efficiently, with venues like Fort Worth's Tannahill's Tavern & Music Hall hosting events from 7:00-9:30 PM.

Urban shared his personal connection to the show's concept: "I spent a lot of my underage life playing in some seedy pubs, sometimes just for the bartender. So I love the idea of throwing artists into a real-world environment to find out if they are artists."

He emphasized the importance of live performance experience, adding, "Paying your dues sucks, but there are things in this business that can't be taught, like how to put together a set list, whether to extend or cut a song during your performance or how to work the crowd."

The show, produced by Blake Shelton, is scheduled to premiere in fall 2024. While facing competition from established music shows, 'The Road' offers a unique approach by focusing on real-world performance experience and immediate audience feedback.

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