Atmosphere’s 30 Years of Beats Brought to MSP
Forward by Kaite Peterson, Atmosphere by Ashton Brown.
Finally the longest month of the year is over, finally February in the Twin Cities. One that may be the shortest, but with plenty of creativity and love to give. After all Minneapolis has been traversing and battling, the attempt at enjoying a show proved to be slightly difficult at first. Trying to envelope myself in the songs and artists’ earnest performances was a soothing salve needed and that First Ave delivered.
Sunday night shows always have a certain flavor and vibe to them. Right before a new traditional work week starts, the scaries can be sanded down slightly by some high quality entertainment. When I arrived at 6pm about a half an hour before opener, the crowd was already buzzing about. Many already a few drinks in, chatting in merch lines, exchaning laughs with friends. Seeing so much violence and anger everywhere from phone screen to next door, was strange to realize regular things can also happen. After jostling my stressed brain out of a numb stupor, began to enjoy myself and got to on of my favorite pastimes besides photography; people watching with a beer in my hand.
MR DIBBS would be sharing his stylings as the opening act. Sitting at a small but cleanly organized table with his equipment, began to weave familiar favorites into new and interesting patterns. Not sure if the audience was familiar with his mixes and work, but quickly fell under his hypnotic and masterful spinning. A half an hour went by so quick, would love to listen to a longer set by them. Caught myself bopping and nodding along in the pit, forgetting for a few minutes how horrible my mindset has been over the last few weeks. Thirty minutes of breath, relaxation, and clever contemporary blends.
Next up was Kool Keith. Having been around the block, he knows his way with an audience and stage. Lots of energy all around the stage. People were getting a bit more wet and wild, Kool Keith dousing them with some water from his bottle a few songs in. Got a wee drip on me but saw the arm swing just enough ahead of time to avoid a lens drenching. “Girl Let Me Touch You” was a fun throwback, one by Kool Keith’s many alter egos, Dr Octagon circa 1995. Though it seemed like a fast set, he packed in a dozen tracks to keep the flow amusing and fun. When there are so many solid performers on the docket, get that you have to keep the timeline tight. First Ave was on top of it, with each act stepping foot on stage exactly when scheduled.
R.A. The Rugged Man came out like a rocket. Almost leaping into the crowd, he balanced perfectly between the level of intensity and observation needed in a show like this. With tensions so high, and the audience’s blood alcohol level rising, don’t wanna stoke the embers too aggressively and burn out. Not an issue with R.A. The billowing coat tails of his dark trench coat accented his movements wonderfully. Love it when an outfit actually adds to the performance. He did pop a nip out to the fans’ delight, receiving thanks in screams and squeals aplenty. Right before the final song, R.A. invited some of the girls on stage from the crowd to hang out and dance a bit. Not gonna lie, I was a bit tempted.
Hard to pick a favorite hip hop artist or rapper, but Sage Francis is pretty fricken high up there. I was actually giddy with anticipation. Waiting by the side of the stage a few minutes before showtime, spied a familiar face come right past me to head into the pit past security. Sage Francis was just hanging out in the crowd pre-set it seems. Easy to hide when donning the classic Minnesota uniform of winter hat and scarf. Does disguise even the most recognizable characters in a dark venue. Did a little double take and he politely walked past all us photographers to little fanfare. Not sure if anyone saw him sneak by besides me. Would love to know how many artists do stealth-watches from the crowd during their openers’ sets. With a lineup like this, don’t know how you couldn’t resist watching like the rest of us.
A clean LED blockprint font of SAGE FRANCIS with a small black and metal chair were the only decor on the stage. With his lyrics and presence, you DO NOT need anything else. Raising his mic stand to the sky, he began by offering kind but motivating sentiments to the crowd about the state of our country and specifically how strong and amazing Minneapolis is. Seemed to be the continuous thread throughout every act’s performance. With the relentless daily bombardment on our minds and in our streets, it showed respect and reverence for what the community has been going through. Sage Francis was no different. Thank you for coming here. Not canceling on us like it must have been tempting to do with how dangerous it is for so many people in our state, and how it must feel coming to the city of Minneapolis as an entertainer. We need art the most in times like these.
Now down to Atmosphere’s set. The wait for that 9:00 stage time felt like it dragged on forever, and you could tell the whole room was getting antsy, myself included. First Ave was absolutely packed, the kind of packed where you just accept that you’re not getting a great view and it’s going to be a hoooooot night (and i accidentally kept my jacket on too). As soon as HEBL and Ant walked out and started setting up though, the mood shifted fast. They had a camera on their hands and the decks so you could actually watch them mix live, which was a cool reminder that everything we were hearing was being built in real time, not just a backing track for a rapper to go on top of.
Slug came out to a big welcome from the crowd and opened with Locusts, off their newest album Jestures, and from there it was off to the races. What stood out most was how much he talked to us between songs. He wasn’t just running through a setlist, he kept stopping to thank everyone for being there and for supporting him all these years, especially in his hometown. He had to specifically stop and say “I apologize, but I talk too much!”, but honestly, the way he carried himself felt really natural, like he was just hanging out with a room full of people he knew instead of performing at them. The crowd fed right into it too, throwing up middle fingers or peace signs whenever he called for it, and it was clear this was mostly an older, longtime Atmosphere crowd that had grown up with these songs.
This was my first time seeing Atmosphere live, and hearing tracks like The Woman With The Tattooed Hands and Yesterday in person hit harder than I expected, and while you can visually see those songs when listening at home, hearing it told to me was a different story entirely. It was also the 25th anniversary of Lucy Ford to the day, which got a huge reaction once he mentioned it, and honestly is such a cool feature for the night because how often are you going to go to a 30th anniversary show, and 25th album anniversary at the same time? Throughout the show we got plenty of staples like Don’t Ever Fuckin Question That, The Best Day, and GodLovesUgly, but the moment that stuck with me most was when Slug talked about being on tour and hearing all the news coming out of Minneapolis. He said he wished he could be home with his family, but that he was proud to see the city standing up for itself. He also reminded everyone that '“the uncomfortable feeling from all this might fade for some of us, but it doesn’t fade if you’re black or brown”. The crowd erupted, and it felt like one of those moments where a show turned into something a little bigger than just music, and with all the tension in the city, this felt like such a perfect little moment of community too.
The encore brought the energy back up with Okay, a quick freestyle, and a closer in Trying to Find a Balance that had the whole overheated, shoulder to shoulder room moving together and clearly happy with the show. It wasn’t the most comfortable show to be in, and half the time I could barely see the stage, but none of that really mattered-Atmosphere made it feel personal and real, which is probably why so many of those same faces keep showing up thirty years later. When he rolls back through I’ll absolutely be coming again, but this time showing up MUCH earlier for a better spot!
