There’s only one week left, so get’em while they’re hot.

Students and the general public still can buy tickets for Nelly and Nine Days, coming to DeKalb next week.

“Ticket sales are going well,” said Mike Brady, CAB concert co-coordinator.

The Nine Days concert begins at 7 p.m. April 25 at the Egyptian Theatre, 135 N. 2nd St. Because of ticketed seating at the theater, the Nine Days concert can sell out with 1,200 tickets sold, said Maria Morrison, CAB graduate assistant.

The Nelly concert, which begins at 8 p.m. Monday at the Chick Evans Field House, has seats in the bleachers and standing room on the floor still for sale.

The way the concerts are set up is unusual, Brady said, because in the past there haven’t been a lot of hip-hop concerts due to a lack of student support.

“Hosting concerts to big-name hip-hop artists is expensive, and we will never be able to afford it with low ticket sales,” Brady said. “In the past, we haven’t had a lot of hip-hop performances — the two shows this year were the most expensive we have done.

“If we can’t break even on these shows, it is going to make us think twice about doing more large hip-hop shows.”

A publicity boost for the Nelly concert comes with CAB’s give-a-way through WKDI radio.

“To promote the Nelly concert, this week we plan on kicking-off our ticket give-a-way,” said DJ Sam Cooke of the “Cook Out” show on WKDI.

Cooke said the concert freebie will increase the radio show’s number of listeners as well as give some incentive to go to the concert for an otherwise hesitant crowd.

“Not everybody is excited about a Monday night concert,” Cooke said.

The give-a-way allows one contestant and five of his or her friends to ride on a charter bus with a live DJ to The House, 263 E. Lincoln Highway, where they will have a private dinner with multi-platinum artist Nelly.

Brady said, it is likely that the members of Nine Days will spend time on campus before the concert.

“Most performers don’t want to sit on a bus or in a hotel room all day,” Brady said.

Another muse that can be spotted around DeKalb is the Gabe Dixon Band, who will open for Nine Days.

Nelly will bring Rueben Paul as master of ceremonies, Royce Da 5-9, Sticky Fingaz, a former member of the rap group Onyx, and Alley Life to open his show.

Those interested can buy tickets at the Holmes Student Center Box Office, open weekdays from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Charge by phone at 753-3146 for the DeKalb and Chicagoland area. Tickets also can be purchased at Hemispheres, 1015 W. Hillcrest Drive, or by calling 758-6525.

NIU students and Kishwaukee College students, with a valid student ID, can buy Nelly tickets for $15 for bleachers and $18 for the floor. The public can buy Nelly tickets at $20 for bleachers and $22 for the floor. Nine Days tickets cost $14 for the balcony and $17 for the floor for current NIU and Kishwaukee College students with valid ID. The public can buy Nine Days tickets for $18, balcony and $21, floor.