I don't remember exactly when I first heard Slug and Ant do their thing together as Atmosphere; their tracks have seemingly always been around, thanks to cooler older cousins and uncles playing their songs. Considering that they've been making music together for three decades, it's not surprising that the Minneapolis duo are synonymous with a certain segment of underground hip-hop. But I do remember when I truly locked into their sound, seeing them as one of my first ever concerts in the late 2000s and loving every second of it. Little did I know I would continue to see this act grow and grow as Atmosphere celebrated 30 years together on their Winter Carnival Tour with a house party at The Salt Shed.
Opening up the night was a special DJ set by Mr. Dibbs, stationed just a bit stage right with his decks ready to go. Immediately the vibe was set for good times as Mr. Dibbs was full of bangers that obviously flowed perfectly into one another. To his side, the screen played clips for movies and TV synced to the music. All of it was building up to a peak towards the end of his set: a montage of Nazis and fascists getting beaten down in movies, video games and real life as “Smack My Bitch Up” roared over the crowd.
Next up was Kool Keith, Black Elvis himself, which I'll readily admit was an opener I was dying to see perform at a venue like Salt Shed. The man is a legend having started out with the Ultramagnetic MCs and constantly transforming himself into various personas and characters, all of which dole out some of the most lyrically intense verses you'll get to hear. To say that Keith was ahead of his time would be an understatement, but thankfully he's always had a cult following that has supported him throughout his prolific career. We got a little taste of quite a few of them at the Winter Carnival Tour including a hilarious freestyle, some “Blue Flowers” from Dr. Octagon and a bit of the more pervy side of the good doctor with “Girl Let Me Touch You There.” Right after that his fellow MCs went into the back and started handing out signed porn DVDs to those in the front row. “Straight from Keith's personal collection,” they said, bringing a smile to those truly tied into the shapeshifter MC.
R.A. The Rugged Man, another legendary rapper that has been impressing fans, peers, and iconic rappers like the Notorious B.I.G., followed up with the wildest performance of the night. Richard Andrew Thorburn came to the stage donning a Game of Thrones-esque cape ready to lay waste to anyone that doubted him. From energetic sprints around the stage, big pratfalls that saw him rising triumphantly. and some of the most interesting flows, R.A. The Rugged Man had the crowd eating from his hands. Carrying an undeniably antifascist aura, especially amid the track "Uncommon Valor: A Vietnam Story," R.A. was a bright highlight of the night.
Like any good night, the Winter Carnival Tour kept the vibe and rhythm of the night in perfect sequence. Sage Francis's time on stage provided the crowd a more laidback, but undeniably impassioned set. Francis switched between sitting center stage and towering over the crowd like the sage professor he is, dealing the crowd a heaping dose of wisdom through his eloquent and heady tracks. He spoke of his appreciation to have made it this far in his career and life, exuding that sentiment with his every breath. The crowd grooved along with every passing word as Francis' history as a slam poet was on full display.
The last time I saw Atmosphere perform, they felt like a completely different group. Slug was talking about growing older and what that means, celebrating that they made it this far. You'd think that would be a theme of this show as Slug and Ant celebrate 30 years as a band with this grand tour filled with friends and special guests. But this time around it felt like a victory lap. It was as much about the past, the future, and the right now as Atmosphere took a nonstop approach to the night, filled with tracks from their storied career.
"We are here to celebrate that motherfucker next to you," shouted Slug, cementing the night as being about the community they've amassed as much as it was about their own massive accomplishment. Every song jumped straight into the next, with Slug keeping the banter to a minimum. He even noted it during a story of Atmosphere's earliest beginnings, where Ant would save his best beats for Slug.
The set list really stretched itself across the three decades of Atmosphere's discography, giving every facet of the fanbase something to dig their heels into and enjoy. The Lucy Ford OGs, the prime When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold fans, and the longtime loyalists waiting for new Jestures tracks got their fill and then some throughout the night.
The biggest surprise came towards the middle of the set as Atmosphere brought out his Felt bandmate MURS for an insane one off performance of "Dirty Girl." The crowd went completely nuts for the moment, reaching a high point for the night. It was one of those moments you didn't think would happen, but obviously many hoped and speculated could happen since MURS was clearly in town for a special event at Co-Prosperity Sphere.
The evening ended like many Atmosphere shows do with "Trying to Find a Balance" giving the lively crowd one final song to shout at the top of their lungs before they ventured off into the cold Chicago Saturday night.
If you're on the West Coast, The Winter Carnival Tour will be continuing the celebration throughout the rest of February.
All photos by Julian Ramirez.
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