Atmosphere • NOFUN! • Reverie • October 5, 2024 • The Union Events Center
Reviewed and Photographed by Austin Dayton
To the Joy of thousands of fans, Legendary Hip Hop Group Atmosphere and their “Traveling Forever” Tour made a stop in Salt Lake City this weekend. With them, they brought supporting artists Reverie and NOFUN!. Together the three groups attracted a packed venue and gave the Union a huge night of high-energy hip-hop and rap.
Reverie
The night started with the up-and-coming hip-hop artist Reverie. Based out of Los Angeles and bringing with her her music based on experiences of growing up surrounded by everything from addiction, depression, gang life, and overall, Latin American culture, Reverie delivered stunning vocals backed by emotionally raw and vivid lyrics and beats. Though most had not heard of Reverie before, many left with a newly beloved hip-hop artist.
NOFUN!
Following up Reverie, hip-hop group NOFUN! quite literally stormed the stage as the nine members of the group grabbed the attention of everyone in the venue. Native from around the world, NOFUN! truly exemplified a collective as each member shared the spotlight taking turns singing, playing instruments, and dancing with each other. Contrary to their name, the group was a living thriving good time. It can be hard to imagine what nine hip-hop artists can do on stage, but the synergy of the group is a must-see and a must-hear.
Atmosphere
Sufficiently warmed up by two stunning hip-hop groups, the venue filled to the brim, and to the excitement of the anxious crowd, Atmosphere finally took the stage. Comprised of rapper Slug and DJ and producer Ant, the group has been putting out music since 1996. Hailing from Minneapolis, Atmosphere was seemingly unaware of the response they would get in Salt Lake City as the continuous cheers and screams left Slug momentarily speechless.
Quickly feeling at home, Atmosphere almost immediately settled into their set starting with “In Her Music Box,” “Okay,” and “Puppets.” Between each song, Slug stopped to speak to and with the crowd, building deep levels of rapport and intimacy with the audience. Having been around for 28 years as a group, it was clear that there were some in the audience who had been fans for each of those years and the connection that Atmosphere was building with them was palpable.
Just as Atmosphere was building the relationship with the audience another relationship within the group was on full display. The cohesion and silent communication between Slug and Ant was something to behold as the perfectly coordinated live changes, stops, and starts of songs. The dynamic of Ant’s rhythms and beats mixed seamlessly with Slug’s gifted voice, cadence, and lyrics.
With the impressive amount of time that Atmosphere has been touring, they took the crowd back a fourth in a musical time machine as they played through their entire discography. Some old-time favorites such as “God Loves Ugly” brought the already loud crowd to a new level that is hard to imagine unless you were there. Prefacing the song, Slug instructed the crowd that all beautiful people were not allowed to sing this song and only the ugly people could join him. This statement was met with cheers and screams as almost the entire venue proceeded to sing with him.
Another crowd favorite was “Yesterday.” This song seemed to pull the crowd into a place of nostalgia mixed with some melancholy memories. Sensing this vibe, Slug let the audience know that if that song had made an impact on the lives of anyone there, he wanted to give the song to them, stating it was no longer his song to own, instead it was a song own by the individual that it helps. This attentiveness seemed to weave its way throughout the entire night. At one point Slug stopped a song mid-song because the crowd was not engaging with it. Instead of being mad or frustrated, He apologized for playing a contentious song to a crowd that was more in tune with his more hopeful and positive tracks. From there he signaled to Ant to start playing something new.
From an outside view, one could easily dismiss this concert as just that, another concert. But it was so much more. It was a gathering of people spanning a huge range of ages, genders, and life situations and as Slug said, this was church, and it was his privilege to help gather like-minded souls. It was easy to see that he meant it as Slug poured his heart and soul onto that stage. This was not an ego stroke for the group. This was a reciprocal bonding through the beauty of hip-hop.
As the night drew to a close, Atmosphere had another trick up their sleeve. Slug took to the mic and to the confusion of the crowd let them know that he refused to do an encore. He felt that encores had become an adulterated part of a true show and had been used by labels to push last year’s records. Instead, he proposed to the audience that the atmosphere would have some “bonus features” much like you would find on a DVD from the 2000s. Elated the crowd agreed with cheers and hollers.
The bonus features for the night included a true display of art and skill as Slug freestyled a completely unique song for the Salt Lake City crowd. The mastery of lyrics, cadence, and dictation truly showed what everyone was beginning to realize, that Slug and Ant of Atmosphere were true musical artists who have been and will be long respected in the Hip Hop World.
The last bonus feature of the night was a true sign of community as they sang “Trying to Find Balance” and both openers joined them on stage. This meant that fourteen hip-hop artists sang and danced with the crowd as a perfect ending to a perfect night of song, dance, and community. Atmosphere once again proved that even after 28 years of producing music, the connection they build through their music will always be relevant.