Keith Urban 'Loves' the Physicality (and the Cardio!) of Performing Live (Exclusive)

Country strong!

Keith Urban follows a strict physical fitness regimen to stay in shape, but traditional cardio isn’t his forte. That’s what the stage is for.

"I love the adrenaline of a live show. I love that I get to do two hours of solid cardio on stage," he told PEOPLE. "I ain't walking into a gym to do two hours of cardio. I promise you that, like ever, but I’ll do it here effortlessly and end up in really great shape."

Urban, 56, has long said performing and slaying away at the guitar is his favorite type of cardio.

"I’ve got a 10-pound plank of wood around my neck, and I’m singing," he said. "I love the physicality of what I get to do and how I get to do it."

The “Messed Up as Me” singer’s endless motor will be on display at Fontainebleau Las Vegas on Friday, Oct. 4 as he kicks off a 10-date limited engagement inside BleauLive Theater. Called HIGH in Vegas to coincide with his newest album of a similar name, Urban plans to play his popular hits and weave in new songs, including the incredibly catchy "Chuck Taylors."

"I love any sort of exhilarating, bristling, percolating caffeinated vibe," he said of that song, "and Chuck's definitely got that."

Last month, Urban told PEOPLE he thought he’d be releasing a completely different record in 2023.

"I scrapped another album," he said. "I finished an album in early 2023, 13 tracks, and decided to scrap pretty much the whole thing."

High, he explained, is built around just four songs from that never-released album.

Asked if he ever thinks about those other unreleased songs, he joked, "They're up on blocks in the front yard with grass growing around."

Those songs, which the country star insisted are "really good," will likely find a home in another album. 

"It was just too much of the same thing," Urban explained.

Still, the musician has no idea how the crowd will react to his new material from High, as he’s never played the songs live in concert yet, but he’s not overly "nervous."

"A friend of mine said a long time ago that every time you find yourself saying ‘nervous,’ flip out the word for ‘excited,’ and it has a much more forward momentum feeling," Urban said. "I'm a little bit excited. It already feels better, and it's probably truer because I'm really interested to know what works and what doesn't work. I have no idea. I might think I have a really bulletproof set list, but the opening night might tell me otherwise!"