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 unique real-world approach.

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

The free concert series will take place across six cities:

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

Shows are designed to be efficient, running approximately 2.5 hours. The Fort Worth opening show at Tannahill's Tavern & Music Hall is scheduled for 7:00-9:30 PM local time.

Urban, drawing from his early career experiences, explained the show's concept: "I spent a lot of my underage life playing in some seedy pubs, sometimes just for the bartender. 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 Blake Shelton-produced series is set to premiere in fall, separate from Urban's upcoming High and Alive World Tour beginning in May. Registration for free tickets is now open, with high demand expected for all shows.

This novel approach to music competition focuses on real-world performance experience rather than traditional television competition elements, potentially offering a fresh perspective in the crowded music competition landscape.

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