Nelly Brings Friends for Nostalgic Tour Stop in Charlotte
...with Ja Rule and Chingy; PNC Music Pavilion
Sometimes, you don’t need a new album to justify a summer tour; all you need is good energy, plenty of hits and a strong sense of nostalgia.
Rapper Nelly brought his Where the Party At Tour to PNC Music Pavilion on Sunday. While Jermaine Dupri and Eve performed at earlier stops, Charlotte got the main touring trio of Nelly, Ja Rule and Chingy.
Nelly’s smile and attitude are always infectious from the moment he hits the stage. “Ride Wit Me,” “Hot In Herre,” “E.I.,” “Country Grammar,” “Dilemma” and plenty of other hits peppered his set, which featured a few backup dancers and his longtime crew the St. Lunatics.
Ja Rule popped up on stage from under a quilt-covered be, then got dressed and rolled right into an onslaught of his music, including a cover of Jay-Z’s “Can I Get A…” He gave a shout-out to his The Fast and the Furious castmate Paul Walker before performing “Furious.” He constantly paced the stage and even wandered out into the crowd, keeping them engaged for the entirety of his 50-minute set.
Random trivia for those who haven’t kept up with the St. Louis rapper since his Y2K debut and succeeding years of hit: He is currently married to and stars in a reality show with fellow early-aughts superstar Ashanti, who was once signed to Ja Rule’s Murder Inc. Records and had a slew of hits with her husband’s touring partner, including “Mesmerize,” “Down 4 U” and “Always on Time.”
After a DJ got the crowd warmed up to start the night, Chingy hit the stage to perform a whole bunch of his music, doing the first verse and one run at the chorus for each song in a run that included hits like “Right Thurr,” “Holidae In” and “One Call Away.”
Read more: Cypress Hill Leads Electrifying Hip-Hop Bill at The Amp Ballantyne
Be sure to check out Queen City Nerve’s Soundwave, Charlotte’s most comprehensive live music listing, so you don’t miss out on any shows or concerts coming up. And hell, if you’re looking for something else to do, you can check out our events page as well, which runs the gamut of things to do in Charlotte. You don’t ever have to be bored again. You can check out more of Jeff’s pics and live reviews here.
