Nelly and the St. Lunatics – Verizon Wireless Theater – Houston, TX July 11, 2003
Concert Reviews
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Written by Samuel Barker
Jul 11, 2003 at 08:00 PM
Nelly salutes his air force one.Rap and Hip-hop are finally making a real resurgence. No longer are fans left only with albums and the occasional award show performance, rappers are finally stepping onto the tour bus and doing what acts did years before the new wave of “pop” rappers hit, bring their show to the people.With Snoop Dogg out with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and 50 Cent and Busta Rhymes hitting the road on the Rock the Mic tour this summer, rappers are making a very public stand to show that there is something to be offered outside of studio beats and slick videos. People can actually be a part of the act now, and that’s what rap desperately needs.

Nelly rolled into town off the success of his latest album, Nellyville featuring the chart-topping duet with Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland, Dilemna. Also on the bill was Nelly’s group, St. Lunatics featuring Ali, Slo Down, Kyjuan and Murphy Lee.

Many will believe Nelly brought St. Lunatics to the spotlight, but the group, formed in 1993, inked the deal that won all of it’s members solo albums, as well as their group album Free City.

Free City displayed the group’s skills but was still overshadowed by the blockbuster success of Nelly’s Country Grammar. In the end though, this show was just about every other member as it was about Nelly.

Tracks from Free City, Nellyville and Country Grammar were all heard as well as tracks from Murphy Lee’s forthcoming solo album. No single member was meant to stand out, but it was clear that most of the ladies in the audience were swooning over the Lebron James jersey-clad Nelly, who spent as much time catering to the audience as throwing out rhymes.

St. Lunatics single, Midwest Swing got the house going wild and rapping along, but the moment of the night was Dilemna, which saw the winner of a pre-set singing contest come out and Rowland’s part of the song. Of course, the audience took the liberty of singing along as well. It’s moments like this that make you see, besides being around over two decades, rap is definitely a viable art form and something people can be a part of in live scenario.

Nelly and the St. Lunatics weren’t the only people to hit the stage on this night. Opening the show was a group of local rappers who spent all their time on the stage yelling about how cool they are over recycled beats, but when they finally left the stage, it was time for a little music for the ladies.

This music was provided by Calvin Richardson. Smooth R&B with a tight backing band. Richardson’s soulful voice caught the attention of many a man in the audience and kept at least a few guys in the audience from spending the night alone. Can you ask anything more from an R&B singer? I think not.