‘Idol’ Kris Allen returns to Ark. hometown, parade
CONWAY, Ark. — Kris Allen has brought a little bit of rock back to his Arkansas hometown.
The 23-year-old “American Idol” finalist came home on Friday, when an estimated crowd of more than 20,000 packed an area of downtown Conway, about 20 miles north of Little Rock, to hear him belt out songs such as Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror.”
Allen appeared a little overwhelmed by the swooning fans, telling them: “You guys are crazy.”
The concert was the last big public event on Allen’s schedule Friday, which included performances in Little Rock, at the University of Central Arkansas and a parade in his honor just before the Conway show.
All this is for Allen, who’s competing for the “Idol” crown and a record contract against Danny Gokey of Milwaukee and Adam Lambert of San Diego when the Fox TV singing contest finale airs May 20.
In Conway, support for the hometown hero is clear. Messages cheering for Allen popped up everywhere — in windows of salons to a bail bonds office.
It’s a big change for Conway, where MTV was briefly dropped from a cable lineup in the 1990s over concern for its content.
“MTV was just a little too graphic for us,” resident Crissy Stevens said with a laugh.
Rachel Burks, an 18-year-old fan of the competition, said she loves judge Simon Cowell, but added that she “wasn’t OK” with his recent comparison of Allen’s cover of the Beatles’ “Come Together” to “eating ice for lunch.”
At the evening concert, a fan held up a sign that said: “I’ll have ice for lunch any day!”
At the University of Central Arkansas show earlier in the day, 24-year-old Chris Rodriguez said Allen “is what you see on TV. Rodriguez, who said he grew up with the Idol finalist in Arkansas, called the singer “a good guy. He’s incredibly talented, and he is what you see.”
Leann McEowen, 38, said Allen’s success has helped the town unite.
“It’s just amazing to see a town get behind somebody,” she said. “I think it’s cool that they’re behind him the way they are.”
Celebrities aren’t foreign to Conway. Scottie Pippen played his college basketball at UCA before going on to win six NBA championships with the Chicago Bulls.
So what’s more impressive, six NBA titles or one American Idol crown?
Rodriguez sides with the singer.
“American Idol’s a one-person thing,” he said. “Scottie Pippen had Michael Jordan.”
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May 25th, 2009 at 11:06 am
I’m a devout Christian and mother of two music-loving boys, but I ask: What is wrong with America? America’s vote for Kris Allen, or America’s vote against Adam Lambert, seems to be a contemptuous hate vote against various sectors of society that Adam Lambert appears to stand for. Americans utterly disregarded that American Idol is a singing talent competition open to all, not a popularity contest for class of persons; and neither a political race nor an arena for religious warfare. In Season 8, Kris ocassionally proved that he is a talented musician and an outstanding vocalist, but Adam Lambert consistently proved to be the amazingly innovative artist and the best singer, gifted with a powerful voice. ADAM LAMBERT DESERVED TO WIN. Even Kris knows this within his Christian heart, so much so that when he was unexpectedly handed the undeserved title, he evidently became perplexed and then asserted in open public that “Adam deserves this…” – instinctively repudiating the unbelievable subsuming vote results in righteous adherence to glaring truth. You could actually count so many seconds before the bewildered Kris finally acquiesced to receive the undeserved crown, but only after Adam graciously approached to place his arm around his room mate’s shoulder in encouragement. ADAM LAMBERT IS THE TRUE WINNER. I should also ask: What is wrong with this American Idol TV show, anyway?