GM: Nelly's quick sellout puts War Memorial on rap promoters' map

Jul. 26—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — Perceptions of what types of concerts can be successfully promoted at 1st Summit Arena @ Cambria County War Memorial changed significantly when Grammy Award-winning rapper Nelly sold out the venue in less than 24 hours.

Country, classic rock and Christian performers have long been the staples of the arena's concert schedule. Nelly is believed to be the first Black rapper to headline a show at 1st Summit Arena, according to Jean Desrochers, the facility's general manager.

Approximately 3,500 tickets were originally sold for his Dec. 3 show. An additional 200 side-view seats are scheduled to be put on the market on Tuesday.

Desrochers said he has been contacted by several promoters who represent rap artists since Nelly's show sold out late last week.

"It put us on the map a little bit for that genre," Desrochers said.

Chad Mearns, the War Memorial's box office and marketing manager, said the quick sellout "validates a lot of what we were thinking about the potential that this building has for entertainment in different genres than what we've seen in the past."

"The response that we saw was very strong and very decisive that this area wants to see a variety of big-name performers come into this building," Mearns said. "It was also validation that we can achieve that. We have to find the right moments to bring in the right artists."

Cambria County War Memorial Authority Chairman Chris Glessner said the Nelly show was part of a goal to "broaden horizons" of the types of events offered at the arena.

"It's well-known that we've done many successful country concerts here, but we're looking to hit up the rap, the hip-hop, the country, the rock music to try to land bands across different genres," Glessner said. "They've done a great job of it so far. This is hopefully showing the community that we're committed to that. There are more things to come. We're very excited."