Author: Michael Santos

The Atmosphere show last Wednesday brought me back to the Sylvee for the third time since it opened this year, and the expansive new venue coupled with the goofy stylings of the artists inside did not disappoint. Slug took the stage backed by two DJs, one of whom, of course, was Ant. At that point, hands flew into the air and stayed there just about all night. Over the past several decades of performing, Atmosphere has acquired quite a cult following, and this was made evident by the crowd; late-twenties millennials, all feelin' some type of way, provided an enormous amount of energy throughout the performance that did not go unnoticed by the rap group. In fact, after heading off stage, Atmosphere waited only a few seconds before appearing again for their encore. Slug claimed that the audience's loud roar clearly indicated to him what they truly wanted and deserved: more Atmosphere.

The performance itself was fueled by protruding blood vessels and copious amounts of sweat, as Slug passionately rang out every verse of his songs without flaw. In between tracks, he childishly ranted of various rebellious topics including drugs, alcohol, sex, and rights. This silly immaturity and his angsty lyrics quickly masked the fact that he was old enough to be my father.

Atmosphere played plenty of tunes off their new album, Mi Vida Local, as well as several fan favorites from years ago such as “Yesterday” and “God Loves Ugly.” To cap the night, they provided the collaboration I was anticipating in which openers, deM atlaS and The Lioness, converged on stage to play “Drown.” In all, Atmosphere succeeded in sending the whole audience back the 90s, and they were happy to be there.