INDIANAPOLIS -- Pop singer Avril Lavigne serenaded more than 2,000 fans during a free concert at a shopping mall.

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Thousands Pack Mall Slideshow: Pictures From Concert

"You guys are awesome," the 19-year-old Lavigne told the enthusiastic crowd Thursday at Glendale Mall.

Some people waited several hours to see the singer perform songs from her upcoming CD and 2002 hits "Complicated" and "Sk8er Boi."

The half-hour acoustic concert was part of a 21-date "Live and By Surprise Tour" promoting her new CD, "Under My Skin."

People started lining up at the mall early in the afternoon for a chance to see Avril Lavigne up close and personal, RTV6's Jennifer Carmack reported.

Mall officials hope this event, and more like it, will help the venue attract new shoppers.

"It's helping everybody out. It's helping retailers and food court merchants, and I hope they keep on doing what they're doing," Broad Ripple Ice Cream vendor George Hanna said.

Brent Rumple, owner of Cookies and More, said the concert was responsible for generating 2½ times his normal business.

"It's wonderful exposure, brings out a lot of people, so its a good thing to have," Rumple said.

Glendale Mall is scheduled to host the Taste of Indianapolis next month, which retailers hope will generate even more business, Carmack reported.