Keith Urban’s recent pop-up concert at a Buc-ee’s in Alabama was a rousing success, the country star said, giving a shout-out to fans who “exceeded every expectation I could’ve possibly had.”

Urban made a surprise appearance on Friday at the Buc-ee’s location in Athens, attracting thousands to the popular gas station and convenience store in north Alabama. The free event, announced just a few hours in advance, drew an estimated crowd of 5,500, according to a Facebook post from the City of Athens’ public relations department. The post attributed the crowd count to the folks at Buc-ee’s, and confirmed that Urban, who took the stage around 8 p.m., was still playing nearly two hours later.

“Thank you sooooo much to everyone that came out to @bucees in Athens, AL on Friday!” Urban said on Monday via social media. “I visited about a month ago and left thinking it would be the perfect spot to do a show. You all exceeded every expectation I could’ve possibly had!! Also want to give a massive shoutout to the entire Buc-ee’s staff for helping us pull this together and being so good to us.”

Urban, 56, performed a full-length concert at Buc-ee’s, according to Setlist.fm, playing more than 20 songs that ranged from “Long Hot Summer” to “Raise ‘Em Up.” The concert also showcased songs from Urban’s new album, “High,” set for release in September.

His agenda at Buc-ee’s featured “High” tracks such as “Straight Line,” “Wildside,” “Messed Up as Me” and “Go Home W U.” The star also covered Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama” and Steve Miller Band’s “The Joker,” and offered his hit version of Radney Foster’s “Raining on Sunday.”

Just before Urban introduced his band members, according to Setlist.fm, he tossed in a medley that featured the theme songs from “Green Acres” and “The Dukes of Hazzard,” along with a cover of “Folsom Prison Blues.”

When he wasn’t on stage, Urban made an appearance inside the Buc-ee’s store, chopping brisket at the Texas Round Up station. “Fresh brisket on the board!” the star shouted, then proceeded to chop the meat and pour a big ladle of barbecue sauce. (Buc-ee’s is famous for its chopped brisket sandwiches, in case you didn’t know.)

What prompted the Nashville hitmaker to perform at Buc-ee’s?

“I came down to this Buc-ee’s about a month ago. And when I left, I went, ‘It’d be kind of fun to do a show there,’” Urban told the crowd. (See that moment in the video below, posted by the City of Athens on Facebook.) “This is my caveman brain, right? So I’m like, ‘Oh, it’ll be fun. We’ll set up a little stage and some people will come around and hear us play.’ I swear to you, I thought maybe a hundred, 200 people.”

Urban also displayed an affinity for Buc-ee’s in April, posing with the chain’s popular mascot in the audience at the 2024 CMT Music Awards in Austin, Texas.