Word on the street is that Nelly is coming back to St. Louis. Well, he is coming to Saint Louis University.
SLU will host rap-sensation Nelly with the St. Lunatics, in addition to Toya, on Nov. 8. The concert will be performed to a SLU-only audience of 3,000 in the Simon Recreation Center.
The Student Activities Board made the announcement of the concert on Tuesday.
“It’s been something that has been in the works,” said Erin Dunn, president of SAB. “It became an option the second week of school.”
Tickets will be sold to SLU students for $15 and should be available in the Office of Student Life in mid-October, according to Dunn. Tickets are expected to sell out, so students are advised to stay attentive for details of the exact ticket sale date.
“It has happened very fast,” Dunn continued. “I found out for sure, five minutes before our meeting began.”
SAB is in the process of working out exact details of the concert, but the planned date is Nov. 8. Nelly is known for his rap hits, including “Country Grammar” and “Ride Wit Me.” In the “Country Grammar” video, the singer shows support for his hometown of St. Louis by donning Cardinals, Blues and Rams jerseys.
Toya, a rap singer who recently was signed onto Nelly’s record label, may look familiar to some students. In fact, Toya was a SLU student until last semester.
“Students might recognize her from some of their classes,” Dunn said.
Dunn could not find words to express her emotions about the concert: “I am more excited than words can express,” she said.
“The student reaction has been incredible so far,” according to Dunn. “I haven’t run into one person who hasn’t heard about the concert, and we just announced it!”
Students are also eager to buy tickets, Dunn said. “They’ve already been to Student Life in an attempt to buy tickets,” she said.
While Dunn did not say how much it was costing SAB to bring the rap superstar to campus, she did say, “It’s definitely worth the money.”
The $15 ticket price will be used to off-set the cost of the concert. “We’re not trying to make a profit off of this,” Dunn said.
Last year, when SAB brought Wyclef Jean to campus, five percent of the audience was not SLU students. “That’s why this year, Nelly will perform to an all-SLU audience,” Dunn said.
