Last spring, Lady Antebellum toured Australia for the first time as part of Keith Urban’s tour. The group is headed back next week to headline their own trek Down Under. They’ll kick off their Own the Night 2012 World Tour in Australia on Tuesday (September 25th) with a two-night stand in Melbourne, followed by two nights in Brisbane. The group will wrap up the tour October 3rd with the last of a three-night run in Sydney. The only other date Lady A has on the books is a performance at the Belk Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina on December 27th. Last year, Lady A’s Hillary Scott got to hold and pet a koala, which was the top item on her to-do list, and now she feels bandmate Charles Kelley should do the same. “I’m gonna make Charles go to a zoo, because he didn’t go last time,” says Hillary. “I’m not much of a zoo person,” responds Charles. “It’s hard, man. I can sit there and go, ‘Alright, I can go play golf and get out and enjoy nature my way or I can go…and hold nature.”
Whatever they decide to do, they’ll have fun doing it, especially when they hit the stage. “It’s very interesting, very high energy,” says Charles. “When they come, they seem genuinely excited and ready to kind of let it all out there in the audience and sing along and have fun, so they seem to really appreciate it.”
Last night, the band performed at a benefit for the UCSF Children’s Hospital (where they ran into Dana Carvey). On Saturday, Lady A will perform a show in Honolulu, Hawaii, before heading to Australia. When they head back to the States, they only have one more date on the books – a performance at the Belk Bowl in Charlotte, North Carolina December 27th.
AUDIO: Lady A’s Charles Kelley talks about heading back to Australia on their Own the Night 2012 World Tour.
Lady A (Australia) 1 OC: …forward to it. :46
“We were lucky enough to get to open up for Keith Urban last year in Australia, and we kind of found this whole little new world of fans over there for us. Everybody was super nice, and we love their accents, so it’s a beautiful place to be. But, it’s very interesting, very high energy. I think it was the same case in Australia as it was in Europe and stuff is they don’t get to see a lot of us, a lot of shows like a lot of people in the States get to do. We have a lot of fans that come back time and time again. So, when they come, they seem genuinely excited and ready to kind of let it all out there in the audience and sing along and have fun, so they seem to really appreciate it. So, we’re looking forward to it. I think we have multiple nights in every place we’re playing. We’d sell out the first night and add a show, which is pretty overwhelming, so we’re looking forward to it.”
AUDIO: Lady Antebellum’s Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood feel bandmate Charles Kelley needs to experience nature up close and personal.
Lady A (Australia) 2 OC: (Dave) …a koala. [LAUGHS] :24
HILLARY: “I’m gonna make Charles go to a zoo, because he didn’t go last time.” CHARLES: “I didn’t. I’m not much of a zoo person.” DAVE: “You didn’t do the zoo! Man, they’ve got kangaroos, little joeys, you can hold a koala.” HILLARY: “You can at least go for half an hour.” CHARLES: “It’s hard, man. I can sit there and go, ‘Alright, I can go play golf and get out and enjoy nature my way or I can go…” HILLARY: “Or hold an exotic animal.” CHARLES: “…and hold nature.” DAVE: “There are no koalas in Brentwood. We need you to hold a koala.” [LAUGHS]
