Nelly gave free show at University of Florida. It didn’t go exactly as planned
Rapper Nelly went viral for all the wrong reasons last week.
The 1990s staple swung by the University of Florida in Gainesville on Tuesday night to give a free concert.
To say attendance was low would be an understatement. Footage from a few of the students who made it to the Stephen C. O’Connell Center, which can fit 10,000 people, showed empty seats everywhere.
According to the campus radio station WUFT, the concert, which was set to start at 7 p.m., was delayed an hour “due to low turnout.”
The good news for the individuals who made it out is that they could sit wherever they wanted.
According to cellphone footage shared on Barstool Sports’ TikTok, many headed to the open floor to get closer to the action. Eventually, a few more stragglers showed up.
“So we went to the Nelly concert,” read the TikTok’s text over screen. “I’m getting second hand embarrassment.”
“I definitely would have preferred if there were more people because it felt a little empty at the beginning,” UF freshman Jennifer Cardenas told WUFT. “Once he started with the music, it got better and I enjoyed it.”
The political-science major, 19, admitted to not actually knowing who Nelly was, but went with a friend who clued her in.
Despite the slim crowd, the St. Louis hiphopper reportedly put on an energetic show with his brother Lavell Webb, aka City Spud. The set list included such classics as “Ride Wit Me,” “Just a Dream,” “Dilemma” and “Hot in Herre.”
Nelly, 49, gave a shout-out to the intrepid few who made the trip. “Because of you I am allowed to continue to perform shows like this that fulfill me,” he said.
The Grammy winner also offered up some gratis advice: “At the end of the day, just be a good person. You don’t have to be the most famous person or the richest person — just have a good heart.”
More positive news for Nelly: His on-again galpal Ashanti is pregnant, she announced Wednesday, adding that the duo is also engaged.
Madeleine Marr: madeleinemarr