On Oct. 10, a friend and I made a pilgrimage to Charlotte's Verizon Wireless Amphitheater to join a throng of enthusiastic hip-hop fans who attended the Nelly and the St. Lunatics concert.

I had seen Nelly and the St. Lunatics before and was looking forward to seeing how the St. Louis rap phenomenon had prepared for the live show. The first time I saw these artists in concert, I was pleasantly surprised by their energy, special effects and talent.

Unlike other concerts I have seen, Nelly's shows are strictly rap. Even so, in Charlotte he successfully drew a very diverse and energetic crowd who surrounded the stage during the opening acts as well as during the main event.

Nelly has definitely put his hometown of St. Louis on the rap radar with his two multi-platinum CDs. There is no doubt that he has raised more eyebrows with the latest singles off his new release, Nellyville. But Nelly didn't just stick to his new material. Rapping hits such as "Hot in Herre" and "Batter Up," and tossing sweaty T-shirts into the audience, Nelly definitely kept the crowd's attention. He also won the hearts of many local fans by dressing his dancers and himself in Carolina blue wristbands and jerseys.

From his debut album Country Grammar Nelly performed "Ride Wit Me" and "E.I." He also unveiled new tunes from Nellyville, including "Pimp Juice" and "Air Force Ones."

My favorite part of the show had to be seeing a St. Lunatic known as Slo sitting in a giant Nike shoe suspended above the audience; the crowd responded en masse by holding up their very own Air Force Ones. Nelly's opening acts included Amerie, Fabolous and Big Tymers. Amerie started the night out at 7 p.m. by performing a set that included her hit "Why Don't We Fall in Love."

She was followed by Fabolous, who could not have put on a better show in the time slot he was allotted.

The crowd got to hear "Can't Deny It" and his "Holla Back," the anthem of die-hard Fabolous fans. Although his stage set or presence was low-key, his tunes were hot.

The Big Tymers, known for hits such as "Still Fly" and "Get Your Roll On," could easily have replaced Nelly as the evening's headliner. With their bling-bling opening, special effects and consistent energy, the Big Tymers' relentless performance made Nelly and the St. Lunatics a slight disappointment.

Despite the rain, overall, the night was great; I definitely will be attending another Fabolous or Big Tymers show. Nelly, on the other hand, I would have to think about. The rapper's second time around simply did not impress.