Fans react after woman accuses Nelly of rape on tour bus
RIDGEFIELD, Wash. -- Nelly has been on tour with country music group Florida Georgia Line since early June. The concerts have been a crossover of country music and rap.
Attending the concert in Ridgefield Saturday evening, Samantha Gilbertson says she was disappointed to learn the rapper would not be performing following the singer's arrest on second-degree rape accusations in Auburn early that morning.
“I’ve been listening to Nelly since I was in middle school so it was a really big deal that he came to Washington and being able to see him perform especially with country music,” said Gilbertson.
Touring with the country music group, the rap star was initially still on the bill at the Sunlight Supply Amphitheater in Ridgefield Saturday evening.
Late Saturday afternoon, the venue said the rapper would not be performing.
Nelly was arrested by Auburn police early Saturday morning after a woman called Auburn police and said she was raped by the performer on his tour bus in a Walmart parking lot, according to police.
The singer was arrested on second-degree rape accusations and released from jail later that morning.
“It’s kind of disturbing,” said Gilbertson of the claims.
“I don’t care about accusations without substance and right now they don’t have any substance,” said Dylan Anton who was attending the concert Nelly was scheduled to perform at on Saturday.
The rapper tweeted to fans thanking them for their support and that he will pursue legal avenues to fight these accusations. Nelly maintains the accusations are completely false.
Nelly’s attorney Scott Rosenblum released a statement saying, “Nelly is the victim of a completely fabricated allegation. Our initial investigation, clearly establishes, this allegation is devoid of credibility and is motivated by greed and vindictiveness. I am confident, once this scurrilous accusation is thoroughly investigated, there will be no charges. Nelly is prepared to address and pursue all legal avenues to redress any damage caused by this clearly false allegation.”
Fans attending Saturday’s concert say they’re upset to have paid to see two performers and now only got to see one, but they say they won’t be making any judgments until the full story comes out.
“Anyone could say something take a little spotlight, this morning she was quick on it to say something we know that happens with celebrities all the time so until there’s proof behind it, doesn’t change my view at all,” said Whitney Catkins, who was attending the concert.
Neither Nelly nor his attorney indicated when the rapper's next performance will be.