Atmosphere in Salt Lake City

The underground urban hip-hop group Atmosphere stopped in Salt Lake City on October 11 and rocked the nightclub In The Venue. They pleased a receptive crowd until the late hours of the night after a handful of opening acts warmed the up the stage for the Minnesota natives.

It’s not very often a hip hop group, especially one as well established as Atmosphere, take the stage without all the lights, jewelry, dancers and slick attire to spice up the show.

They came out dressed down disregarding all the hoopla and Slug didn’t miss a beat with his latest appearance of a long hair and a mustache. Slug had no accompaniment of a hype man or a crowd of rappers in gangster attire-just him and his off-the-wall antics were enough to please a enthusiastic packed house.

Atmosphere consists of two main members the lyricist Slug, Sean Daley, and the man that produces most of the beats Ant, Anthony Davis. The sidekicks have steadily been producing albums since 1997. The topics expressed by Slug are related to daily living and his personal struggles. He has no trouble explaining his perspective of the world.

Slug, and his live band came out with a brief case and a jug of juice that he frequently drank from. The brief case contained a wild hat collection that included a baseball, police and cowboy hat; he would rotate them and enjoy every new hat he wore.

The raw effect of the live band was a fitting touch for the show.

The anthem "God Loves Ugly" from the 2002 album titled the same name was definitely a crowd favorite. At times, Slug looked like a younger Jim Morrison with his crazy facial expressions and dancing, but he never missed or mumbled a word during the long and energetic set.

Slug frequently talked with the crowd and emphasized, as he always does, to respect the person next to you so everyone can enjoy the show. "Fighting doesn’t impress me, you want to impress me? Put a smile on your face," Slug encouragingly conveyed that message with different wording multiple times.

If you’re a fan of hip-hop and haven’t seen Atmosphere live, it’s something you should consider if you ever get the chance. Slug and company won’t disappoint.