Country Concert Pops Up at Alabama Buc-ee's
ATHENS, Ala. — Country music superstar Keith Urban surprised Buc-ee's shoppers and guests with a free concert on Aug. 16 at the company's Athens-based travel center.
Setting up his stage approximately 100 miles south of Nashville, Tenn., Urban gave only a few hours' notice of the event before launching the unexpected musical performance, according to the Associated Press.
"I was at work and we heard it on the radio that there was going to be a surprise concert at Buc-ee's in Athens," Cindy Wilson, a concert attendee, told FOX 54. "And I was like, 'Oh my God, it's on my way home.' And it's 15 minutes from my house. So I couldn't believe it."
Urban got the idea for the concert after stopping by the Buc-ee's store earlier in the summer, though he didn't expect the crowd to be as large as it ultimately turned out, AP reported.
Getting into the spirit of things, the singer also worked behind a food counter, with news outlet video finding him wearing a Buc-ee's T-shirt and apron as he poured barbecue sauce on some brisket and chopped the meat into serving-sized pieces.
Buc-ee's opened its first Alabama location in 2019 at the start of its multistate expansion outside of its native Texas. Since then, Buc-ee's has also opened travel centers in Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri and Colorado. The retailer recently broke ground on its first Virginia and Mississippi locations earlier this year.
The cult-favorite retailer has additionally continued to rack up accolades for both its staff and customer experiences. For the last two years, the company made it to the No. 1 spot on the Forbes Customer Experience All-Stars List, while also nabbing a top spot on Forbes inaugural 2024 Best Brands for Customer Service List.
Buc-ee's also saw a job posting for a store manager go viral last year, after a keen-eyed Twitter user noted the high starting pay, while Placer.ai labeled the c-store operator a regional company to watch as a result of its continued success after the pandemic.
Founded in 1982 and based in Luling, Texas, Buc-ee's operates 35 stores across Texas, as well as 14 locations in other states.