Country music star Jake Owen stopped in the Scenic City to play an impromptu show Saturday night as part of his Love Bus Road Trip.
Owen, who is promoting his new song, "American Country Love Song," is making his way to Key West, Fla., in a 1966 Volkswagen van.
After first tweeting at 7:25 p.m. that he was headed to Coolidge Park, Owen tweeted, "Scratch that...new plan, meet us in the grass by the aquarium. #Chattanooga#JakesLoveBus."
Owen's stop was also announced on US 101, a local country radio station.
Both notifications gave fans just minutes to find the 34-year-old star. Despite the short notice, a throng of more than 100 congregated around Owen.
"This is just Jake being Jake," said Gator Harrison, a disc jockey from US 101 who was at the scene along Riverfront Parkway where Owen played a few songs and posed for photos with fans.
Before hitting the road about 8:55 p.m., Owen sang happy birthday the friend of a fan and answered questions from reporters.
Country music star Jake Owen performs on the Coca-Cola Stage at Riverbend in 2013."I've done this for years, just having fun on the road," Owen said of his Chattanooga stop. "But I thought with the promotion of the record and the song called 'American Country Love Song,' you can look around here and there's everyone around here from husbands, wives, sons, daughters, friends, and there's a lot of love.
"I think I just wanted to take a trip from Nashville to Key West in this '66 Volkswagen and just prove that no matter where you go, there's a lot of love everywhere in this beautiful country, and we're lucky to live here."
Owen headlined the opening night of Riverbend in 2013. Saturday night's stop was a bit more intimate.
"It's a little bit different vibe," Owen said. "We're still in the same vicinity, ya know? I love coming to Chattanooga. That's why we stopped here. There's such great people here. US 101 has played my music from the beginning. My tour manager lives in Fort Payne."
Some of Owen's hits include, "Life of the Party," "What We Ain't Got," "Anywhere With You" and "Barefoot Blue Jean Night."
His next scheduled concert is March 16 in Houston.
You can see a video of Owen taking pictures with fans, singing "Happy Birthday" to one lucky girl and answering reporters' questions here.