The Midwest, and Cincinnati in particular, is special to Atmosphere – and Atmosphere is important to us. That’s why it’s no surprise that their Tour De Friends show at Bogart’s in 2024 made for a special, communal experience, where you felt a true connection between yourself, the performer, and all the friends standing by you.
Bogart’s is a great venue and a local mainstay – just big enough to attract the names you want to hear, but small enough to keep it intimate. It’s clean too. The floor was already filling up nicely by the time the first openers Nofun! came out around 8.
I wasn’t at all familiar with Nofun!, but they were a great fit for a show like this. A diverse collective of nearly ten performers from across the country (and even some abroad), you never would have taken them for a rap crew. With more of a skater, tatted, neo-punk aesthetic, their music was, ironically, a ton of fun; upbeat and infectious, it was perfect for a safe party vibe despite touching on some darker topics lyrically. It could come across a bit corny and Brockhampton-esque at times, but they more than made up for it through pure energy.
Next up, Ant came out to briefly introduce the next opener as one of his favorite DJ’s ever – high praise from a producer like him! HEBL ended up putting on a set worthy of coming out to see itself – while I’m not very familiar with any genres of electronic or whatever you might call this, he put on a good thirty minutes of seriously heavy, slow and bassy production that you just had to move to.
Late in his set, ZooDeVille of Nofun! came out and began killing a freestyle, only to reveal that he and Slug have been working on a collab produced by HEBL over the past couple years while touring together. They already got quite a few songs out together, and I’m super excited to hear what they come up with – to hear Slug not only with a new, inventive producer, but also putting on a young and seemingly talented MC like ZooDeVille.
The crowd at Bogart’s was among the most welcoming I’ve ever been apart of – sure, it was full of musty middle aged white couples, but everyone was willing to chat, chill, and let you through on your way back for another $11 Miller. You could easily guess Atmosphere meant a lot to these people back in the day. There were quite a few young people as well; I’m guessing that being adjacent to the University of Cincinnati, lot’s of kids just want to stop by for a good show. Funny enough, I also caught glimpse of CITOAK from local group Sons of Silverton, who I had seen not even a week earlier.
Now it was time for what we had all been waiting for. With both Ant and HEBL supporting on the boards, Slug came out rocking a Stakes is High hoodie to the resolute “Arthur’s Song” off 2014’s Southsiders. Immediately, you could tell this was a guy who’s been done a million shows over the years – he had total, effortless control over the crowd and had everybody waving their hands. Every song he fell back on a new motion or call-and-response that was more engaging than any upbeat, danceable show could have been.
Near the opening, Slug explains that fans come up to him at every show claiming he saved their lives and showing off tattoos dedicated to the group. Well he treats certain songs like tattoos, that you’re just guaranteed to hear every time you see him (even at Target). He admits he’s also still got an ego and was gonna play some new shit whether you like it or not; thankfully, Atmosphere’s recent release So Many Other Realities Exist Simultaneously was among their best in a decade.
Among those “tattoo” songs were classics like “Sunshine“, “Fuck You Lucy”, and “God Loves Ugly”, which were obvious crowd pleasers. Slug still kept up with every word and switched up the occasional lyric or intonation. Ant was fun to watch nod along in the background as well.
Between almost every song, Slug would spout off about how much he loves each of us, telling us to give it up for ourselves, spouting off about the vague struggles everyone goes through and the state of the world. He mentions how Cincinnati is one of his favorite cities, watching it grow and change ever since he’d come down for Scribble Jam way back in the day, collabing with Anticon and others. His energy all night was so positive, happy-go-lucky and mature.
Other standout performances were the anthemic “Smart Went Crazy“, “Shoes“, an obviously emotional rendition of “Yesterday”, and early fan favorites “Scapegoat” and “God’s Bathroom Floor“. As the show reached it’s close, Slug explains that in the contract for every show he performs, it states in bold print that he must be allowed to bust a freestyle to close the show, proceeding with a very casual and personalized verse that reminds everyone this guy used to really be rapping. Everyone knew that couldn’t be it though; he goes on to claim he doesn’t believe in encores, but we obviously had to leave off with a little “bonus feature”: the tattoo song, “Trying to Find a Balance“.
The last time I felt as sick and contradictive as this
Was the last time we played a show in Cincy
Just as with their records, it’s difficult to see Atmosphere live and not come away with some mixed feelings: nostalgia, understanding, grief, and joy all alike. You could feel it between you, Slug, and all the friends next to you that we’re going through it together.