Fans started lining up at noon Wednesday in downtown San Diego to attend a viewing party of "American Idol" and local favorite Adam Lambert at Copley Symphony Hall.
Viewing parties are being held all over the county on Wednesday night to see local Lambert, a Rancho Penasquitos native and Mount Carmel High grad, take the stage in the "Idol" finals.
Fans of either the show or Lambert can watch the new "Idol" king crowned at Copley Symphony Hall on Wednesday. Virtually all of the seats were still available at 12:15 p.m., when only one woman had shown up to snag one of the 2,240 seats
"I really thought there would be a line here," said Clairemont resident Mariann Jacobs, 24. "I'm actually kind of embarrassed."
Jacobs said she had arrived a short time before but expected company.
"My mom's coming, too," she added.
By 2:40, only 50 fans had arrived, including one man dressed for no apparent reason as a "rebel fighter" from Star Wars.
The doors will open at 3:30 to "Idol" fans and will close either when the halls fill or 4:30 p.m., and, at 5 p.m., a live East Coast feed will be available at the symphony hall so that fans can watch Lambert win in real time, or the front-runner could be unseated by dark horse contender Kris Allen.
A symphony hall employee said the event is free and admission is on a first-come, first-served basis.
American Idol Productions is renting the hall for the event.
