RALEIGH -- When Raleigh's Clay Aiken performed on the finale of the second season of "American Idol," about 10,000 fans swarmed into the RBC Center to cheer him on.
Eight years later, the Triangle is gearing up for another "Idol" finale, and some people are expecting even more fans to come out to support Garner's 17-year-old Scotty McCreery.
A Scotty party starts at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the RBC Center. The venue can accommodate as many as 19,500 people, said Crystal Pace, its marketing manager, but the number who can attend Wednesday's festivities will depend on how the seats and screen are configured. "We don't know how they would want it set up," Pace said, referring to the show's producers.
The town of Garner had hoped to host the finale party - perhaps at the football field at Garner High School, where Scotty is a junior. But "American Idol" preferred the RBC Center, Garner spokesman Rick Mercier said. The show wants to set up cameras to show live footage of the crowd, he said, and technical logistics would be easier at the indoor venue than at the football stadium.
Some weren't thrilled about the party location. Garner Mayor Ronnie Williams said he had hoped the event would be in his town, which has hosted "Idol" viewing parties at the town auditorium and high school for months now.
The town will have a free viewing party starting at 7 p.m. on "performance night" Tuesday in the high school gym.
"American Idol" will pay for the finale at the RBC Center, the town said late Friday. The town didn't want to pay for an event that's not in Garner, Williams said. Garner raised more than $50,000 and chipped in an additional $10,000 this month to throw a parade and homecoming concert for Scotty.
"We would be hesitant to pay for anything in Raleigh," Williams said.
Pace said she didn't know who would foot the bill for the party or how much it would cost. But partygoers likely won't have to pay to get in. There was no admission charge for Aiken's event.
"Our expectation is that it's free, and the parking may even be free," Mercier said.
Garner wants to do whatever it can to cooperate with "Idol," he said.
"We want it to be a totally positive experience for Scotty and the McCreerys," Mercier said.
