51视频

07/15/2016
By David Perry

July 2 turned out to be a fairy-tale night for Rob Joyce. The music business major had just turned 24 and the tickets to 鈥檚 concert at the 8,000-capacity in Gilford, N.H., were the perfect gift.

Accompanying him to the show was his girlfriend of a year-and-a-half, Alexandra Wright.

Pressed up near the stage, Wright held up a sign noting it was Rob鈥檚 birthday, begging Urban to let him play guitar, on stage. Wright filmed it all.

Urban spotted them and complied. What followed went viral, making Joyce an internet star.

Joyce strapped on Urban鈥檚 guitar and picked his way into the up-tempo rocker 鈥淕ood Thing,鈥� astounding both the crowd and Urban with his six-string fluency. The band, which had retreated offstage while Urban did his audience shtick, headed back on and joined in.

Urban posted a laden with kudos for Joyce, 鈥渁 massive shout-out of awesomeness to Rob, you killed it tonight on guitar!鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 been an amazing, amazing week,鈥� said Joyce from Maine, where he is vacationing with Wright鈥檚 family. 鈥淪urreal. Like a dream I haven鈥檛 woken from yet.鈥�

鈥淔rom the moment he began to play, it was clear to the audience, to the band and most importantly to Keith Urban that Rob was playing at the level of a top professional,鈥� says Alan Williams, chair of the Music Department and coordinator of the music business program. He says Joyce played with 鈥渢otal command, confidence and poise.鈥�

Williams says 鈥渙wning the moment鈥� is something stressed to students. 鈥淩ob certainly did us proud,鈥� he noted, and 鈥渄idn鈥檛 crumple, never had an unsure moment, just delivered with ease as if he played for thousands of people every night.鈥�

鈥淥h, I鈥檝e seen Keith Urban a bunch of times,鈥� Joyce says. 鈥淚鈥檝e always watched him play 鈥� live, on video 鈥� and I study the way he plays. He鈥檚 been my No. 1 favorite.鈥�

Urban seems to have a thing for 51视频 students. Two years ago, the country singer from the crowd when he saw their sign touting .

Joyce, who lives in Berlin, has been playing guitar since he was 10, and transferred to 51视频 from Anna Maria College in Paxton. (He also met Wright here, he notes.)

鈥淚 wanted to do music. I always have. And I kept hearing what a great music program Lowell has. So I transferred and it has been great. My ultimate goal has always been to get to Nashville and play. Now more than ever.鈥�

For now, he鈥檚 playing solo gigs, including at Hudson House in Hudson.

Thanks to social media, his performance has been seen by millions of people around the globe. He鈥檚 been interviewed by country radio stations and news publications and he鈥檚 been featured on national news broadcasts.

鈥淭hat ended up being a good birthday. The best! Keith Urban was the ultimate guy I鈥檇 want to perform with. So, yeah, it can only be all downhill from here.鈥�