ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Maybe it was a sign that concert-goers no longer fear the coronavirus pandemic.
Or maybe it was frustration with online ticket sale debacles that left Taylor Swift fans paying thousands of dollars for tickets — or simply not getting them.
Either way, more than 70 people waited in line — some for nearly five hours Friday in temperatures in the 30s — for the Allentown Fair box office to open to buy tickets to Keith Urban's concert Sept. 3 at the fair grandstand.
- Tickets for country singer Keith Urban's Sept. 3 show at Allentown Fair went on sale Friday morning
- More than 70 people stood in line, some for more than five hours, to get tickets
- It was the first time in three years the fair's box office had a line for a new show
For Lynn Duell and her son, Jake Morgan, of Allentown, the reason was simpler.
"You just can't get as good seats online," said Duell, who with her son started waiting at the box office at 5:15 a.m.
'Good to see people back'
Tickets for Urban's show went on sale at 10 a.m. Friday.
Allentown Fair Marketing and Entertaining Manager Jessica Ciecwisz said it was the first time in more than two years that ticket sales drew an in-person line at the fairgrounds.
"It's nice to see people back," Ciecwisz said.
The fair was canceled by COVID in 2020, and last year ran just a three-show grandstand lineup instead of its normal six-show offering, as the concert industry recovered.
Ciecwisz said the fair grandstand will offer a full line-up in 2023, and is deep into scheduling.
"With the new year will come more announcements," she said. "With shows this year, we're really trying to cover a variety of tastes."
She said the past two years "have been hard; you never kind of knew what to expect — what restrictions would be in place."
She said she also knew of fairs that booked acts, only to have them cancel days before a show because of COVID.
"It's been a roller-coaster ride," she said.
Ciecwisz said it was great to start the season sales with Urban, who previously headlined the fair in 2010 and 2017, when he drew an audience of more than 8,000.
"He's just well-loved," Ciecwisz said. "He's done really well here — the fan base is there. He's an artist — and a really good artist."
Urban has sold more than 22 million copies of his 12 studio albums and three compilation discs, and sold more than 36 million singles — 42 of which hit Top 10 Country chart hits — including 20 No. 1s.
His latest singles include "Street Called Main" (released Oct. 28) and "Brown Eyes Baby."
But Ciecwisz pointed out there are other reasons to buy tickets at the box office — the fair charges fewer fees.
'We're there!'
Duell said she and Jake saw Urban at the fair in 2017, when she said people started waiting at midnight for tickets. She said Urban gave Jake a hug at that concert, and it was "very special."
When ticket sales were announced for the new show, she said, "I'm like, 'We're there!'" She said Jake wanted a seat close to the stage.
She said they came prepared, with chairs, blankets and a cooler in the car. She said they passed the time until the second person in line — a woman who identified herself only as Kelly — arrived after more than an hour, then talked to her.
"It's nice to see people back.'Allentown Fair Marketing and Entertaining Manager Jessica Ciecwisz
Kelly, of Schnecksville, said she saw Urban for the first time at PNC Bank Center in New Jersey last summer with tickets her daughter gave her for Christmas, and, "I was hooked."
She said she was buying tickets for herself and the same daughter.
The wait paid off for both.
Duell and Jake got front-row seats.
"Great! Can't wait!" Jake said.
Kelly also got first-row seats, at the end of the row — "exactly what I wanted."
The third person in line, Bob Kline of Emmaus, who said he arrived just behind Kelly, said he was buying tickets for his sister, and got the seats he wanted at the front of the grandstand.
"But she's got to pay for them first," Kline said with a laugh.
Tickets for Keith Urban are $99, $119 and $129 and include admission into the fair. They're available at Ticketmaster.com and special box office hours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 15.
