For one night in the Southern Tier, it felt a little like the calendar had been turned back 20 years. Nelly brought more than two decades of hits to Tag’s Summer Stage on Friday, September 11, filling the outdoor venue with the songs that helped make him one of the most recognizable voices of early 2000s hip hip.

As fans began filling in, a glowing sunset stretched across the sky while a light summer breeze kept the evening comfortably cool. Kicking off the night was Corning native DJ Steven Share. Share brought a mix of throwbacks and crowd friendly favorites easing the fans into the night. As fans continued pouring through the gates browsing the merch tables and grabbing food and drinks, Share kept the atmosphere engaged but relaxed. His easygoing set left plenty of room for DJ Washburn to raise the noise.

As the venue continued to fill up, DJ Chris Washburn took over and raised the energy to another level. Where Share had kept things relaxed, Washburn leaned into a much more energetic run of 2000’s and 2010’s party staples, quickly shifting the mood from warmup set to a full on throwback party. He moved through tracks like Trey Songz’ “Bottoms Up,” 50 Cent’s “In Da Club,” and TI’s “Whatever You Like.” Washburn didn’t simply run through a playlist. His ability to blend one song into the next was one of the most impressive parts of his set. Transitions came quickly and creatively, keeping the crowd guessing what was coming next. One of the best examples came when he worked John Cena’s entrance theme into Eminem’s “Lose Yourself,” a mashup that drew an immediate reaction from the crowd.

From there, Washburn kept the momentum climbing with tracks like Usher’s “Yeah!,” Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk,” and Waka Flaka Flame’s “No Hands.” By this point, the crowd had fully shifted from arriving and settling in, to dancing and singing along to every beat, giving the venue the perfect high energy atmosphere that felt perfectly suited for the highly anticipated headliner.

By the end of Washburn’s set, Tag’s had transformed completely. What started as a relaxed early-evening crowd had grown into a shoulder-to-shoulder sea of fans packed so tightly throughout the venue that moving through the crowd became nearly impossible. With the energy fully dialed up, and the anticipation at its peak, the stage was set for Nelly

With the crowd already packed in, and eyes glued to the stage, the lights suddenly dropped and the entire venue erupted. A roar rolled through Tag’s as phones shot into the air and the stage disappeared into darkness for a few seconds, building the anticipation even further. When Nelly finally emerged through the lights and smoke, he wasted little time getting things started. Kicking off the night with his hit “E.I.,” he instantly sent the crowd into another gear as one of the most recognizable voices of the 2000s took control of the stage.

From there, Nelly settled quickly into a run of early career favorites, leaning into the songs that first made him a household name. The opening stretch carried a heavy dose of nostalgia, with the crowd shouting back lyrics almost word for word and reacting within seconds of each familiar beat dropping. Rather than easing into the show, Nelly came out with a pace that matched the energy Washburn had built before him, keeping the momentum high from the start.

What stood out almost immediately was how little prompting the audience needed. Nelly could back away from the microphone, point it toward the crowd, and thousands of voices would take over. Songs like “Country Grammer,” landed with the same familiarity they did two decades ago, and the response made it clear that this was more than just a nostalgia stop. For much of the crowd, these were songs tied to specific memories, summers and years of their lives, and hearing them live turned Tag’s into one massive singalong.

Nelly didn’t have to overcomplicate the performance. The strength of his set did most of the work, and his comfort on stage made the show feel loose and effortless rather than overly rehearsed. From there he kept things rolling with hits like “Ride Wit Me,” and “Cruise,” his hit remix with Florida Georgia Line. Between songs he consistently thanked the fans for having him in Big Flats and for supporting him for so many years. As the set moved deeper into the night, the biggest records began stacking up. Each opening beat seemed to trigger another wave of phones in the air and another roar from the crowd, but perhaps the loudest moment of the night was when the opening notes of “Hot In Herre” rang out through the venue.

Fans lost their minds, jumping up and down with pure excitement as drinks spilled throughout the tightly packed crowd. It was total chaos, but in the best way possible. Nelly regularly extended the microphone toward the crowd, letting thousands of fans take over the lyrics. Released in 2002 “Hot In Herre” quickly became one of the biggest songs of Nelly’s career, later earning him a Grammy for Best Male Rap Solo Performance. More than two decades later, the reaction in Big Flats made it clear the song still has plenty of life left in it.

As the night came to an end, the crowd was still singing, dancing and hanging on to every last song. What began with fans slowly filing in under a summer sunset had grown into a shoulder-to-shoulder celebration of nearly twenty five years of hits. Nelly’s music has soundtracked countless parties, road trips and memories over the years, and in Big Flats, that history felt very much alive. By the end of the night, Tag’s wasn’t just hosting it’s last concert of the season, it was hosting a full on throwback party led by an artist whose biggest songs still know exactly how to move a crowd.

Nelly continues his tour on Saturday, September 12, in Hamburg, NY, followed by performances in Oklahoma and Kentucky.