Live Review: Nelly, B.o.B, Lupe Fiasco

“I apologise for taking so motherfucking long to get my black ass back here,” said Nelly as he exploded onto the stage of the Qantas Credit Union Arena last night.

This is the first time since 2011 the R&B superstar has been in Australia, and is his first headlining tour on our shores, so the eager crowd lapped it up as he made his way through more than a decade’s worth of hits.

Lupe Fiasco was first up, wearing one of his own tour shirts, and shamelessly promoting his new album Tetsuo & Youth, which if you didn’t hear was dropping 20 Jan. Kick Push and Touch The Sky got the crowd going, but it was when Guy Sebastian made a surprise appearance on stage for Battle Scars that the crowd really went wild.

B.o.B delivered an outstanding performance, bringing an infectious energy that lifted the arena to a new level. Whether he was on stage, crowdsurfing, or throwing free shit into the audience, it was impossible not to get lost in the moment. He had an unwavering energy, delivering hits like Airplanes and Magic, which had everybody dancing and singing along. At one point he took a selfie on an audience member’s phone. This reviewer imagines that selfie is going bonkers on Instagram today. For his rendition of Both Of Us, he had the crowd light up the arena with their mobile phones creating a sea of stars, before treating us to a brand new song, Not For Long. He then imparted some valuable words of wisdom: “Don’t drink and drive, just smoke and fly,” before dropping his mic and leaving the stage.

Headliner Nelly launched straight into a rendition of E.I. followed by Shake Ya Tailfeather, and managed to cram more hits into his set than one would have thought possible. Towards the end three lucky female audience members were plucked from the crowd and pulled onto the stage to dance around him, as he serenaded them with Dilemma and Over And Over.