T.I. packs Atlanta arena before heading to prison

T.I. packs Atlanta arena before heading to prison

ATLANTA — Grammy-winning rapper T.I. told fans he would stay optimistic when he heads to prison on a federal weapons conviction.

The 28-year-old rapper, whose real name is Clifford J. Harris Jr., performed for a packed audience Sunday night in Atlanta’s Philips Arena less than two days before he is to begin serving the sentence of a year and a day.

Many in the packed crowd of about 16,000 people held up encouraging signs, such as one reading “T.I. We Will Miss U!”

He must report by noon today to the Federal Correction Institution at Forrest City, Ark. He was arrested after prosecutors said he tried to buy unregistered machine guns and silencers from undercover federal agents in 2007.

During the concert, T.I. said he hoped that everyone learned from his mistakes. He brought his five children on stage, often holding one of them while he performed “No Matter What” — a single off the almost double-platinum album “Paper Trail.”

Today’s birthdays

Actor James Arness is 86. Sportscaster Brent Musburger is 70. Singer-drummer Levon Helm of The Band is 69. Steel guitar player Gates Nichols of Confederate Railroad is 65. Drummer Garry Peterson of The Guess Who is 64. Singer Stevie Nicks is 61. Actor Philip Michael Thomas (“Miami Vice”) is 60. Actress Pam Grier is 60. Country singer Hank Williams Jr. is 60. Actress Margaret Colin is 52. Singer Dave Robbins (BlackHawk) is 50. Actress Genie Francis (“General Hospital”) is 47. Comedian Bobcat Goldthwait is 47. Singer Lenny Kravitz is 45. Actress Helena Bonham Carter is 43. Drummer Phillip Rhodes of The Gin Blossoms is 41. Actor Joseph Fiennes (“Shakespeare in Love”) is 39. Singer Joey Kibble of Take 6 is 38. “South Park” co-creator Matt Stone is 38.