MSU cancels low-selling Nelly concert after rapper arrested

Last edited 12:05 p.m., April 14, 2015

After the weekend arrest of rapper Nelly, Missouri State University has cancelled an upcoming student fee-funded concert and now is refunding tickets.

Thomas Lane, assistant vice president of student life and director of the school’s Plaster Student Union, said about 800 tickets were sold for next week’s show. Ticket sales were $23,525, with 573 tickets sold at $25 apiece to students, faculty and staff, and 230 tickets sold at $40 apiece to community members, he said.

“In light of Nelly’s recent arrest, we did not finalize the agreement,” Lane said of the concert scheduled April 23 at the 11,000-seat JQH Arena.

He said had the concert continued, MSU’s student activities council would have paid Nelly $80,000. The concert would have been funded by MSU's student involvement fee, which is part of costs students pay to attend the school.

“Our hope is to break even,” Lane said of student-funded concerts.

Nelly, whose given name is Cornell Haynes, was arrested in Tennessee on Saturday after state highway patrol officers pulled over his bus and found methamphetamine, marijuana, drug paraphernalia and several handguns. A St. Louis native, Nelly is charged with felony possession of drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia. The 40-year-old was released from Putnam County jail on a $10,000 bond, and he is scheduled to appear in court June 19, according to The Associated Press.

“It was a consensus agreement reached by the student activities council and university administration,” Lane said, noting he doesn’t yet know what the full financial impact will be on the school. “There’s other expenses that won’t be accrued, such as catering expenses.”