Thousands come out to enjoy free Nelly concert at Mardi Gras Park
The concert and parade brought out more than 59,000 people.
MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) -Friday night was the first big event in downtown Mobile since the New Year’s Eve mass shooting.
Thousands of people also packed the streets for the city’s first Mardi Gras parade of the season.
There was a huge show of force Friday from Mobile Police.
Once the parade wrapped up law enforcement swarmed Mardi Gras Park to make sure there was a heavy police presence ahead of the concert.
Officers were on horseback, on motorcades, and on foot.
Nelly hit the stage just after 8:00.
According to MPD the crowd count for the Conde Cavaliers parade and Nelly concert was over 59,000.
The free concert was one of many events offered this week leading up to the big Senior Bowl game Saturday.
It was an alcohol-free event.
MPD made sure to enforce that rule thirty minutes before the concert started and thirty minutes after the concert was over.
Mobile Police Chief Paul Prine said earlier this week they were going to make sure their presence was known since this was the first big event since the mass shooting.
According to MPD officials, officers responded to 10 complaints Friday night.
A total of 64 parking citations were issued and 34 vehicles were towed.
---
Download the FOX10 Weather App. Get life-saving severe weather warnings and alerts for your location no matter where you are. Available free in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store.
Copyright 2023 WALA. All rights reserved.