Live music review: Atmosphere Winter Carnival at Moody Theater ACL Live was a hip hop showcase
Minneapolis legends, Atmosphere, brought a crew of hip hop elites to ACL Live at the Moody Theater on their Winter Carnival tour on February 6. The performance showcased prominent contemporaries of hip hop before the duo commanded the attention of each concertgoer in the room during their performance.
Mr. Dibbs started the evening with a DJ set, highlighted with a mashup of Ozzy’s “War Pigs,” Rage Against the Machine, and Beastie Boys. The Cincinnati DJ warmed up the crowd with a 30-minute display of expert turntable precision.
The legendary Kool Keith was the first MC to take the stage, at 7:35 p.m. From his early days in the 1980s with the Ultramagnetic MCs, through the classic Dr. Octogon era, Dr. Dooom, Black Elvis, and more, the eccentric Kool Keith delivered a bit from each of his career personas. His genre-twisting productions were placed to the side for the Moody set, and what was delivered, was a masterclass in pure hip hop through the decades with special guest, fellow Ultramagnetic MC, Ced-Gee.
R.A. the Rugged Man brought the ruckus with an energetic performance next. It was quickly apparent that R.A. knows how to rock the crowd. He opened up the floor for a mosh pit and breakdancing cypher. From historical knowledge to party-inducing themes with audience members joining him on stage and crowd surfing, The Rugged Man controlled the energy at the Moody Theater with a firm grip.
From his poignant personal recollections of the impacts government atrocities have had on him personally, to the party-themed, bouncing anthems incorporating water dousing the crowd, R.A.’s performance was loaded with a wide range of energy that was all the more emphatic for it. The Rugged Man’s Jedi Minds collaboration, “Uncommon Valor,” was a memorable moment .
Throughout the evening, messages of common human decency in our current day and age were prominent. Sage Francis displayed his politically aware poetic craft throughout his set. The underground icon who has been a prominent figure in the independent scene on the national level since 2002, delivered an introspective set. The Rhode Island MC blessed the audience by incorporating some Non-Prophets material into the performance, with the standout, “Damage.” Sage ended his set with the philosophical number, “The Best of Times.”
Headlining the showcase, was the legendary duo from Minneapolis, DJ and Producer Ant, and legendary MC, Slug, a combo better known as Atmosphere.
From the moment the pair stepped on stage, they had the crowd’s full attention. The opening number, “Locusts,” had the audience fully engaged. Slug’s lyrical wizardry and Ant’s masterful instrumentals had the crowd bouncing and reciting the lyrics, number-by-number. Slug blessed the crowd with an awe-inducing freestyle for the ages as an element of his encore, followed with his classic track, “Trying to Find A Balance,” and stepped off of the stage, leaving the audience dumbfounded.
From the start, Atmosphere’s Winter Carnival set a tone as a tour de force through decades of hip hop lore, and the appreciation given to ACL Live was prominent throughout the evening. Each artist crafted and delivered their respective performances with precision and raw energy. The show was awe-inspiring, poignant, overwhelmingly electric, and allout fun.
The Winter Carnival Tour continues through February 21 then picks up again in April. Check Atmosphere’s tour dates to grab tickets to an upcoming performance.
All photos by Drew Doggett
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