Atmosphere returned for the 20th anniversary tour of its album, “You Can’t Imagine How Much Fun We’re Having,” at the Canopy Club.
Atmosphere is a hip-hop duo from Minneapolis, Minnesota. It consists of Sean “Slug” Daley, lead vocalist and rapper, and Anthony “Ant” Davis, DJ and producer.
The duo has been making music for over 25 years since its debut album, “Overcast!,” in 1997, building a loyal fanbase.
“I used to listen to Atmosphere in 2003; I remember I got really into (them),” said Adam Clark-Joseph, Champaign resident. “I haven’t listened to him in a while, but back in the day, I was a big fan, and my brother was a big fan.”
The show opened with performances by DJ Mr. Dibbs and fellow hip-hop artist Sage Francis. Both have toured with Atmosphere for decades.
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“I saw Mr. Dibbs 20 years ago, and he’s incredible,” said Paul Komes, South Chicago resident and longtime fan of all three artists. “Sage Francis is a great rapper.”
The rest of the crowd seemed to reflect this opinion as they cheered on the opening acts, and the energy level in the room continued to rise.
At around 9:47 p.m., Ant and Slug took the stage and performed the first three songs from “You Can’t Imagine How Much Fun We’re Having.” They electrified the crowd with “The Arrival,” “Panic Attack” and “Watch Out.”
“We came to this f—ing club in 2005 on the original tour,” Slug said. “I am going to perform the whole album front to back. However, I reserve the right to cut some of the songs short and change some of the words.”
He then launched into the fourth and fifth tracks from the album, “Musical Chairs” and “Say Hey There.” Slug referred to the latter as his favorite on the album. He spat the lyrics energetically, bouncing around the stage and yelling for the crowd to put their hands up.
After finishing “Say Hey There,” Slug addressed the crowd again.
“I f—ed up; I told a lie,” Slug said. “So here’s the deal. This next song is actually my favorite song off of this record.”
With that, he launched into “Hockey Hair,” which brought further cheers from the crowd.
The group played through the rest of the album, effortlessly entertaining the crowd.
“You guys are really good at this,” Slug said. “Do you hear that often? Listen, if you aren’t getting it nowhere else, get it here.”
This affectionate nature toward the audience made the performance special for those in attendance. As the duo played songs outside of the anniversary album, like “Okay” and “GodLovesUgly,” there was clearly much love between the performers and their fans.
“Atmosphere is a good guy,” said Craig Milan, Williamsfield resident. “So I like watching his shows.”
Perhaps the most beautiful moment of the performance came after the upbeat “Yesterday.” Slug delivered a heartfelt message about grief and mourning.
“When you see grief, you recognize that you feel it — you’re going through it,” Slug said. “And if you’re not, somebody you know is, or soon you will. So make sure that you take time to honor that grief when you see it, when you feel it, when you understand it.”
He smoothly transitioned into the song “The Best Day,” a track about accepting that tough times will come but staying optimistic despite it all.
To close out the show, Slug invited Francis back onto the stage for a freestyle rap session. The performance gave the audience a last bit of fun before finishing it off with “Trying To Find A Balance.”
“Take care of yourself, be gentle with yourself, take care of each other,” Slug said as the group exited the stage.
