- Nelly headlined the third night of music at The Great Allentown Fair grandstand, with opener Chingy
- Both St. Louis rappers leaned into millennial nostalgia during their sets, playing hits from the early aughts
- Both sets were strong and clear, showing two decades of performing
ALLENTOWN, Pa. — It might seem counterintuitive for a hip-hop artist to go a cappella, cutting the pulsing beats completely to let his voice stand alone.
But it was in those handful of moments Friday night at the Allentown Fair grandstand that Nelly’s decades-long experience as a performer shined, especially as he continues to cross over into the country genre.
The voice of the 48-year-old Grammy-winning, multi-platinum artist from St. Louis was clear and strong as he opened the show with the song “Party People,” followed by “E.I.”
Nelly cushioned the first third of the show with early-aught hits, including “Shake Ya Tailfeather” and “Air Force Ones,” as well as remixes of “Country Grammar” and “Ride with Me."
While confidently delivered, those songs felt noticeably sped up, the beats quicker and lyrics sung faster, perhaps because of the number of songs he performed.
When the set turned to his country crossovers, such as “Lil Bit,” his 2021 collaboration with Florida Georgia Line, he let the music fade in order to rap a bar three times over without any background, confidently spitting, “I’m the Black Tom Brady in this, I’m the G.O.A.T. now.”
Nelly, who was joined onstage by his brother, City Spud, punctuated his 65-minute headlining set on the third day of the fair by thanking his fans for two decades of loyalty.
It was gratitude that he kept returning as he spoke to the crowd between songs.
“I said it on the first day I stepped on stage; I’m going to say it until the last day I step offstage,” he said early on in the set. “It is truly an honor and a pleasure to be out here in front of y’all.”
Later on, he thanked the crowd again, crediting his fans for their support to explore a project that includes country music. That foundation helped him to be “musically free" to explore other genres.
"Y’all helped your boy make history and continue to make history."Nelly
“Y’all helped your boy make history and continue to make history with being the only artist — not the only rap artist, but the only artist — ever in history to have a number one rap single, have a number one R&B single, have a number one pop single, have a number one cross-over single, have a number one top 40 single, have a number one rhythmic single.”
While the pace slowed back to normal for the tracks from his latest country-influenced album “Heartland,” released two years ago, he pulled another track forward from almost two decades ago — as well as “Over and Over,” recorded with Tim McGraw.
He ended the show just as he had begun it, with more original hits, such as “Grillz” and “Hot in Herre,” before ending the show with “Just a Dream.”
Exiting the stage after a deep bow, Nelly ended with the show without an encore.
‘I really appreciate the love’
Chingy, another popular St. Louis rapper known for a handful of early 2000s hits, opened the show with “ALL CAP,” a song released this year.
He bounded across the stage as he sang, setting the fast-paced, upbeat tone that continued throughout the show.
He leaned into the millennial nostalgia, calling for fans who had been listeners since he got his start.
“I really appreciate the love.”Chingy
“I want to say I appreciate y’all coming out,” he said. “I appreciate y’all support from day one. And, actually, this year is the 20th anniversary of my 'Jackpot' album, with all [those] hit records … and that is because of you beautiful folks supporting me.
“I really appreciate the love.”
His 40-minute set started a little past the concert’s 7 p.m. start time but included original songs, as well as a handful of remixes.
He covered J-Kwon’s “Tipsy,” released in 2004, before introducing his new album, and then sang “Holidae In,” a 2003 collaboration released with Snoop Dogg and Ludacris.
To end the set, he pulled up nine concert-goers from the crowd, before launching into his “favorite” remix of “Right Thurr.”
Six women and three men were picked to dance, and Chingy offered each the mic to share their name and their hometown. Allentown was well-represented, with the majority of those picked from the city.
“I wish I could pick everybody,” he said. “But, unfortunately, not everybody could fit on the stage.”
