American Idol Kris Allen Performs for Hometown Crowd of 20,000

Conway, Arkansas, Goes Crazy for Their Hometown Hero

Kris Allen, American Idol Top 3, went to Conway, Arkansas, for a hometown concert. Kris Allen performed several free concerts in different locations throughout Arkansas. On May 8th, 2009 Kris Allen was greeted in Conway, Arkansas with a parade and treated his fans to a free concert at Simon Park. Fox 16 News reported there to be between 18,000 and 20,000 people attending the concert.

On May 7th, 2009 Kris Allen's plane arrived and he was escorted directly to the Fox 16 news studio were he performed "Come Together" during the 9 o'clock newscast. During the newscast he was given the key to Jacksonville, his birth town, and also the key to Little Rock.

The next day, May 8th, 2009, Kris Allen performed at three locations and was greeted with tons of adoring fans. Kris Allen's first performance was in Little Rock's River Market Amphitheater at 11:45 AM. After his performance, Kris Allen traveled to his hometown of Conway, Arkansas.

Kris Allen's first hometown performance was at the college he was attending before American Idol took over his life. The University of Central Arkansas campus was abuzz with excitement. The concert was at 3:00 PM.

The official hometown performance was at 5:30 PM in downtown Conway. Thousands of fans gathered early for a glimpse of their hometown hero, Kris Allen, and a chance to hear him sing.

The celebration started with a parade which ended in tons of confetti being dropped from the roof tops of the downtown buildings.

The concert opened with the pastor of New Life Church, Rick Bezet, leading the crowd in prayer. Kris Allen was a worship leader for New Life Church. Kris Allen's brother then took the stage and was very animated. He told the story of how he and his brother drove 17 hours to audition for American Idol and got there in time to see the audition table close. American Idol ended up allowing them to audition and the rest is history.

When Kris Allen took the stage, his humble attitude shined for all to see. He looked truly appreciative and amazed at the outpouring of support and screams from all the adoring fans. Kris Allen started by singing "Man in the Mirror". The performance was excellent.