After the Nappy Roots finished a 65-minute show at the Holmes Student Center’s Duke Ellington Ballroom on Tuesday night, the six group members stepped outdoors to show their appreciation for NIU.

Even though the attendance – estimated at 400 – was much lower than expected, most who were inside wore a big smile outside.

“We had fun, man. Northern Illinois showed a lot of love tonight,” said Nappy Roots member Scales as he stood near the concrete steps that lead toward the Huskie Den. “There wasn’t as many people as I’d like, but the people who was there showed us a lot of love. That’s all I expected – people to appreciate our music.”

Bearded Nappy Roots member Big V – clad in red and black plaid, dark jeans and a red bandanna – also took some time to recognize the NIU audience.

“It was great, man. It was a little crowd, but a nice crowd,” he said as the cold air made his breath visible. “We perform whether it’s one or one million – we just happy to be out here. From what we’ve seen, man, it’s all love. Northern Illinois: In there, cool. We’re nothin’ but love out here, we was kickin’ it, havin’ a ball. We look forward to comin’ back if they’ll have us.”

The Nappy Roots raced through a 15-song set with energy, enthusiasm and plenty of emotion. A crimson curtain set the dimly lit stage as the rappers bounced and flailed to the crowd’s delight.

They played all the hits from their album, “Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz,” including “Awnaw,” “Po’ Folks,” “Blowin’ Trees” and “Dime, Quarter, Nickel, Penny.”

At one point, Big V left the stage, circled around and walked into the heart of the bunched-up audience. As he vocally released, the sight of 300 hands held high, rhythmically bouncing toward him, made the crowd look like a doughnut with Big V in the center.

The concert closed as the ballroom’s stage – used in the past for speeches by those like NIU President John Peters – swelled with people for the extended rendition of “Awnaw.”

“I thought it was very, very good,” said ShaLayla J. Simmons, a junior theater major who also was part of the band’s backstage crew.

Simmons said the show needed to sell 800 tickets to “break even.”

“To get a big group like this to come here, where you don’t have to go all the way to the city to see ’em, I mean, they’re right here at your doorstep,” she said. “I was a skeptic, too, but it’s worth the money because it was a wonderful show, and they’re a good group.”

Tickets costed $17 for students and $21 for the general public. CAB Concerts presented the show, which was slightly disappointing for CAB Concerts Coordinator John Ugolini.

“People are really into it,” said the junior communication major. “The only thing disappointing is the attendance. They sell out a lot of other colleges, and we did a lot of promoting.

“If people want big acts, they’ve gotta come out and support them,” Ugolini said.

Opening act Unitech also opened some eyes, and was just another part of the generally positive evening.

“I thought it was great,” freshman history major Josh Ward said. “I liked the opening act and everything. I really didn’t have anything to expect. My friends had gone to a show last summer and they said Nappy Roots was real good, so I showed up here … I was hoping more people would come out.”

One happy NIU student put the event in perspective.

“I love the Nappy Roots,” junior business major Noel Dyer said. “They bring a lot of energy to the stage and I was glad to see they brought that here. More people should come out and support it, though, you know?”