Ah the noughties – a time when Lindsey Lohan was at the top of her game; when mini skirts, cargo pants and oversized sunglasses were a must have for fashionistas everywhere; when Paris and Nicole were BFFs; and when a certain St. Louis rapper by the name of Nelly was spamming So Fresh CDs with hit after hit. If you’re an absolute sucker for nostalgia like me, chances are you were also making your way to Sidney Myer Music Bowl when said rapper rolled into town, flanked by Lupe Fiasco and B.o.B.
First on stage was Lupe Fiasco, whose career has apparently nosedived so far that he’s now warming the stage for B.o.B. The days of Kick, Push and Superstar seem well behind him, with a very uninspiring rendition of the latter ending the set. With a large chunk of his set spent ranting about something along the lines of “being an asshole,” Fiasco came off as a poor version of Kanye West, without the decent back catalogue to compensate. What happened to you Lupe? You used to be cool.
I spent most of B.o.B’s set stating, “Oh yeah I forgot he was in this song,” or “Wow I forgot this song even existed,” before just getting bored of the set altogether and wandering off in search of drinks. You know you’re clutching at straws when the best you can offer is a verse you had in a Taylor Swift or Jessie J song a few years back.
After two lacklustre support acts, the pressure was on when Nelly finally took the stage, but I’m pleased to say he more than delivered. With a steady stream of hits throughout the noughties, every song drew a scream of delight, as we were transported back to 2004, 2002 and all the way back to 2000. A few well-placed, fast rhymes were a reminder of Nelly’s skills, both as a rapper and in crafting insanely catchy songs. Early highlights included Ride Wit Me, complete with a high-speed rendition of the final verse as an introduction,as well as the Nelly-featuring version of NSYNC’s Girlfriend.
Upon Nelly pulling four girls from the audience up on stage, it quickly became clear everything else was just a mere warm-up for the onslaught of hits that was to follow. Girl one was asked to strut across stage to Body On Me. Girl two claimed she was “18,” but in a smart legal move Nelly noted she was “too close to the borderline” for him and she was instead serenaded with Over and Over.Girl three – who proved to be the friskiest of the four, wasting no time in getting her hands on (and all over) Nelly once on stage – needed no prompt when told to “drop down and get your eagle on girl” during Flap Your Wings. The final girl – decked out in a Nelly t-shirt – was given the role of Kelly for Dilemma, which brought the thoroughly enjoyable set to a close before Just A Dream saw out the encore.
BY KELSEY BERRY
Loved: The couple that got engaged between B.o.B and Nelly – who knew a Nelly concert could be so romantic?
Hated: No surprise appearance from Guy Sebastian during Battle Scars in Lupe Fiasco’s set, which may or may not have turned into an inspiring duet of Angels Brought Me Here.
Drank: Jim Beam.
