One down, one to go.

Campus Activities Board on Monday survived the first of two scheduled shows this week, but while rapper Nelly at Chick Evans Field House didn’t come close to breaking even, concert coordinator Mike Brady said ticket sales were high enough.

About 2,300 tickets were sold. The fieldhouse set-up could have held 5,300 people.

“We did what we had to do,” Brady said. “Sales were OK, nothing spectacular.”

When receipts are totaled, the show’s final cost to CAB should be about $76,000, with ticket sales covering about $42,000 of that bill. The rest will be paid through $40,000 in supplemental funding given to the concert committee Feb. 4 by the Student Association.

Nelly ticket sales were an improvement over sales for October’s MTV Campus Invasion Tour. For that concert, featuring hip-hop artists Wyclef Jean, the Black-Eyed Peas and De La Soul, the fieldhouse concert committee took a hit to the tune of nearly $50,000. The show cost CAB $80,000 to run.

With pop band Nine Days waiting to hit the stage tonight at the Egyptian Theatre, 135 N. 2nd St., Brady affirmed that the concert committee will be financially OK at year’s end.

“We probably had two of the most expensive shows ever,” Brady said. “It’s just hard to put together a large show in this area.”

Brady, who’ll serve as CAB president next semester, said he’ll help next year’s concert committee, but only if members seek his advice.