Nelly to headline 2022 Spokane County Interstate Fair

A three-time Grammy Award-winning rapper is headlining this year’s Spokane County Interstate Fair.

Nelly, a 47-year-old St. Louis artist, will perform at 7 p.m. Sept. 15.

“He has been very popular at fairs across the country,” fair director Erin Gurtel told Spokane County commissioners on Monday.

Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Wednesday through TicketsWest and are $30 to $75.

This won’t be Nelly’s first Inland Northwest show. He headlined the North Idaho State Fair last year and will perform at the Washington State Fair in Puyallup less than two weeks before he is in Spokane County.

Nelly, born Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., rose to fame in the early 2000s with a sound that blended rap, country, pop and soft rock. He was known to sport a headband, gold chain and trademark Band-Aid under his left eye.

“Country Grammar,” Nelly’s 2000 debut album, became the ninth bestselling rap record of all time.

In 2002, he followed it up with “Nellyville.” Two singles on the record, “Hot in Herre” and “Dilemma,” won Grammys.

Another single, “Air Force Ones,” started an international fashion trend. The music video featured Nelly and other St. Louis rappers – the St. Lunatics – glorifying white shoes. The song was so popular that Nike sold out of the sneakers for months.

Nelly’s more recent successes include the triple-platinum song “Just a Dream” and his guest verse on a remix of Florida Georgia Line’s No. 1 country hit “Cruise.”

Those unfamiliar with Nelly the musician might be familiar with the actor. He appeared in the 2005 Adam Sandler comedy “The Longest Yard.” In 2020, he took third place on season 29 of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars.”