[November 22, 2009] Keith Urban rocks Pasadena store parking lot Tweet PASADENA, Nov 22, 2009 (The Whittier Daily News - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Who says nothing in life is free? About 1,000 fans gathered for a free concert Saturday afternoon by country music superstar Keith Urban at a Verizon Wireless store on Lake Avenue. Some in the audience had lined up as early as 11 p.m. on Friday in the store's parking lot, at 368 S. Lake Ave. to get premier seating. The show was part of a free concert series sponsored by Verizon Wireless and Samsung Mobile. "It's worth it," said Alyssa Prager, 18, who drove with her best friend Edina Jenei, 19, from U.C. Irvine before sunrise to land their front row spots. "We really enjoy his music, and it's free, so why not?" Urban, whose latest CD, "Defying Gravity," debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard and Country Album charts, performed a handful of his hits as well as answered questions from the audience. He took the stage about a half-hour late, but the fans didn't seem to mind. "Thanks for waiting out here in the parking lot," he said before his first song. Sarah Olson, who made the trek from Lake Arrowhead, called herself a "huge fan." "He should've been named 'Sexiest Man Alive,"' Olson said, referring to People Magazine's recent bestowment of the title on actor Johnny Depp. As the crowd, who ranged in age from toddlers to seniors, waited for Urban to play his acoustic set, store representatives gave away freebies, including T-shirts and bags. A select few -- who owned Samsung cell phones -- were given backstage passes to meet their favorite singer after the show. [email protected] (562) 698-0955, Ext. 3029 To see more of the Whittier Daily News or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.whittierdailynews.com/. Copyright (c) 2009, The Whittier Daily News, Calif. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]