Too 'Bookalicious': The Man Who Read His Way Through a Beyonce Concert

He always has a book with him.

ByABC News
May 6, 2016, 11:53 AM

— -- While Beyoncé was regaling the crowd during her Formation World Tour concert in Raleigh, North Carolina, one man in the audience had his eyes glued to a book.

“I always have a book with me,” George Papageorgiou, 66, told ABC News today.

The Greece native was managing one of the concession stands at Carter-Finley Stadium with his wife, Helen, for their church, First United Methodist Church of Cary, North Carolina. Part of the proceeds from concession sales go to a charity of the church’s choice.

The couple did not have to pay for tickets, which range from $100 to over $1,000.

“I’m a fan of Beyoncé,” Papageorgiou said. “I like her CDs and she’s a very attractive young lady, but in a big event like that, the acoustics are not that great.”

He watched Beyoncé’s performance for the first 15 to 20 minutes and then sat down and opened his book.

That is when another concertgoer, Michelle Gardner, saw Papageorgiou engrossed in his book. A video she shot of him reading went viral on social media.

“I think it’s incredible,” Papageorgiou said about the response to the video. “It’s almost absurd.”

Papageorgiou said he was reading Danube Pilot by Jules Verne, a gift his parents bought for him 53 years ago in Cairo, where he grew up. He said he has read the book seven or eight times.

The couple has helped at several concerts and events at the stadium, including the Rolling Stones. Papageorgiou said he always makes sure to have a book with him.

“Now if Elvis was alive that’s the concert I would watch,” Papageorgiou said, adding that he also listens to music from the ‘50s, ‘60s, and ‘70s, as well as Greek music.