I was quite surprised myself that the group still had it in them to deliver a great show even after more than 13 years in the indie rap scene.

Rarely, if ever, does a concert sell out on a Monday night. Headliner Atmosphere’s concert at the Pabst Theater on Oct. 15 was so full, the crowd was spilling out into the street.

The large audience was expecting a great show from the Minneapolis icon, because it was their first time back in the Midwest since starting this short tour. The last two times they've been here, the duo’s concert sold out at the Pabst.

If you don’t know who Atmosphere is, they are a Minneapolis-based rap group that was formed in 1994 by Slug (lyrics) and Ant (DJ). Since then, for touring purposes, they have added a full band.

Atmosphere, comprised of Slug and Ant, had a lot of high hopes and expectations to meet. Could they deliver a concert that the crowd would remember and talk about with their friends after seeing many other concerts?

The answer was a resounding yes. I was quite surprised that the group still had it in them to deliver a great show, even after more than 13 years in the indie rap scene.

The concert opened up with Lucky. I. Am and Grayskul keeping the crowd calm more than trying to shine on their own. They both preformed great sets, but I think they were really cheated, because the majority of the crowd was only there for Atmosphere.

Meanwhile, Mac Lethal took the opportunity to shine as he took the stage right before Atmosphere. His flow was impressive and his raps were original. He took the stage with the passion of a veteran rhymesayer mixed with the social commentary of a truly skilled comedian. As the act right before the big show, he really opened up all the energy the crowd had built up.

By the time Atmosphere took the stage, the crowd was so energized that I wasn’t sure if there was enough security to keep the fans off the stage. They were cheering and shouting in anticipation of the Midwest legend.

When Slug finally did take the stage, he seemed to know that this crowd was rowdy, and wanted to impress him.

But, like the openhearted man he is, Slug’s first few words to the crowd were advice about how to impress him. He didn’t want any of the normal fan antics that go on during concerts, no jumping around screaming, no girls on shoulders.

He said, “If you want to impress me just put a smile on your face.”

They began the concert with new songs from this summer’s EP “Sad Clown Bad Summer Number 9.” You could just see the fans dedication to the group by keeping pace with every lyric from “Sunshine,” even though most of them had only heard these songs on the group's MySpace page.

After that, Slug gave a sneak peek into the new album the group was working on with the song “Music Box.” The song tells the tale of a little girl riding in the rear seat of her father’s car, and how she idolizes her father, because he is her dad and is perfect even though she see can’t see what the rest of the world sees.

This is they type of song that Atmosphere aficionados grab and take home like it was made just for them. It’s a song straight from Slug's heart on opens the minds and eyes of the listener.

Then the group moved into their old classics. I always am surprised by how they new addition of a full band makes the songs even better.

One would think that rap songs couldn’t be preformed by a full group of guitar, bass, drums and keyboard at the normal pace and tempo, but Atmosphere seems as if they could do it with a full orchestra.

But, as normal, the star of the show was Slug and his incredibly poetic lyrics.

The man has become almost a storyteller of old. Maybe not all of his tales are completely factual, but that doesn’t make them any less real. He has lyrics have never changed their form even though their content changes all the time. They may have grown like Slug himself, but they still convey the speaker’s values.

The concert may not have been as wild and crazy as they once were back in the beginning of the millennium, but it was still true at heart. Atmosphere’s concerts have changed, and just like the group, they’ve become experienced and know how to perform time after time.

There weren’t any flaws, mistakes or major disasters. It was a great night and I left the show feeling as if they would be speaking about this concert when they were old and explaining to their kids that in their day, they were truly something great.

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