St. Louis Symphony just added a new performance to its concert calendar guaranteed to make you shake your tailfeather.
St. Louis’ own Nelly will come home for a one-night-only concert at Powell Hall on February 3. Music director David Robertson will conduct the symphony, including original symphonic twists on Nelly’s hits, including “Hot in Herre,” “Just a Dream” and “Country Grammar.”
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This won’t be the first symphonic performance for Nelly, a two-time Grammy award winner and one of the best-selling rap artists ever. He performed last month with the Pittsburgh Symphony and Columbus Symphony, drawing rave reviews for both shows.
Here’s a Twitter video from his Columbus show. (Just listen to that horn section:)
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Early on, [Nelly] made a heartfelt speech talking about how music was an outlet in troubled times and asking for people to “free your minds tonight.” “For all you classical fans stepping out tonight,” he added, “if I do anything improper, excuse me.”
From Billboard:
“Hot In Herre” sounded exactly like you would expect “Hot In Herre” to sound with an orchestra: perfect in every way…No one was in their seat. It didn’t matter if they “didn’t like rap” or had “never been to a symphony before.” It was what can only be described as very, very lit.
Tickets for the one-time-only performance are on sale at stlsymphony.org or by calling 314-534-1700. Ticket prices range from $45 to $150. VIP Packages include a meet-and-greet with Nelly, priority seating, parking passes, and drink vouchers.
Nelly’s school, Vatterott College The ex’Treme Institute by Nelly, is presenting the concert, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m. on February 3. Nelly released his seventh full-length album, M.O., in 2013 with guest appearances by Nicki Minaj and Pharrell.
Contact Lindsay Toler by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @StLouisLindsay. For more from St. Louis Magazine, subscribe or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
