Girl at the Rock Shows

People are looking for an excuse to let loose a little bit right now in the Twin Cities. It makes sense. Whether you’d like to admit it or not, if you live in Minnesota, you are overwhelmed. Even if you’re not involved or try to stay distanced from the chaos, there’s no denying you are seeing it, and subconsciously it’s taking a toll on you. We all just need a little escape, and Sunday night at a completely and utterly sold-out First Avenue main room felt like the perfect one.

The Sunday night show got started off with DJ Mr. Dibbs. Although I call him “DJ,” he is so much more than that. This man is a musical genius and one of the founders of Scribble Jam (an iconic music festival that ran from 1996 to around 2008, and I always dreamed of going to). Although Mr. Dibbs’ time on stage was short, the mix that he was pumping through the speakers definitely set the tone for the rest of the night. It was old mixed with new, fast mixed with slow, and all put together with seamless transitions and a flair of creativity that made it stand out. Sure, Mr. Dibbs was the opening DJ on Sunday night but, if you were paying attention, it wasn’t hard to hear that, in the grand scheme of things, it was so much more than that.

Much like Mr. Dibbs isn’t just a DJ, Kool Keith, the next act to take the stage, isn’t just a rapper– he’s more of an enigma. I feel like his name is a household name (at least in certain circles), but within those households, nobody really knows anything about this person. His lyrics don’t make any sense, and his alter egos seem bizarre at best. Personally, my favorite version of Kool Keith is Dr. Octagon, but it wasn’t Dr. Octagon playing on Sunday; it was Kool Keith. His words were fast and furious. That juxtaposed with this performer’s cool, calm, and collected nature created an almost clashing vibe throughout the set. I didn’t know if I wanted to love it or hate it. I wanted Kool Keith to do a bit more, really get engaged with the audience, but, at the same time, his almost deadpan kind of energy just added to the mystery that surrounds this man. Was it my favorite set of the night? No. Did Kool Keith keep my attention throughout his time on stage? Absolutely.

I feel like I knew a little something about everyone on this five-act line-up, except for the next act to take the stage. I had honestly never heard the name R.A. the Rugged Man. I didn’t know a single note and had no clue what to expect from the vibe, but I was instantly in love with this performer. Don’t let my ignorance of this performer fool you; he has been doing his thing since 1992 and definitely has the accolades to prove it, but seems to have never gotten the spotlight that he clearly deserves. Although the lights of First Avenue pale in comparison to the lights he should be under, R.A. the Rugged Man (born Richard Thorburn) used the spotlights for good. He spent a few minutes out of his already short set to address the elephant in the city. He spoke about how messed up everything is and how, as he put it, “the whole world is watching you– we see you– we love you.” Between that and him paying homage to the amazing local rap and hip-hop scene by bringing Terrell X (aka Carnage the Executioner) to the stage. Although R.A. the Rugged Man absolutely held his own on stage, bringing Terrell up on stage and the positive messages he had for this war-torn city (because, let’s be honest, it’s starting to feel that way) just showed that, beyond being a fantastic performer with fast lines and well-thought-out lyrics, he is a truly amazing person.

Although I was excited for this entire line-up, as every act was just as impressive as the last, I was most anxious to see Sage Francis perform. I’ve met a few famous people in my life just through doing this night after night. That’s not a flex, just the way it is. I really don’t get worked up about it anymore. I enjoy it, don’t get me wrong, but, after doing this for as long as I have, you realize that famous people truly are just like everyone else. That being said, the few times that I’ve interacted with Sage Francis, I have cried. It’s weird, especially since I have never had an in-depth conversation with him, and he doesn’t even know my name, but he knows me. His lyrics speak to me; they always have, so every time I get to see him perform, I can’t help but get emotional. Add what’s going on around us all right now and, well, yeah, I needed this. I needed the set from Sage Francis, and it didn’t disappoint.

Sets were short on Sunday night, and Sage only had about thirty minutes on stage, which meant he only had time to play eight songs. Eight songs are not enough for a guy who has as much material out there as Sage does, but he did his best. He got political with “Makeshift Patriot,” played his hit “Sea Lion,” but, for me, the most important moment of Sage’s set was when he closed with “The Best of Times.” This song gets me. Not only does it make me choke up with uncontrollable emotion, but it also just gets me with how relatable it is. I won’t dissect this song entirely for you, but I will mention the last lines: “When you think you’ve got it all figured out and then your universe collapses/ Trust me, kid, it’s not the end of the world.” Do you wanna talk about timely? Hearing this man say those words just about did me in. Sure, I would have loved to have heard him play “Make Em Purr” (which references his love for cats just adding to this man’s charm), or have shouted along to “Civil Obedience” but, really, I’ll take what I can get from this incredible talent and it was just an honor to be in his presence yet again.

Closing out this show, and the main reason for the extremely sold-out and excited audience was the one and only Atmosphere. I have written about Atmosphere more times than I would like to admit. I love them. Much like Sage Francis, the music that this duo (consisting of Slug and Ant) hits me right to the core. It’s Minneapolis hip-hop at its best. They talk about real life rather than being in the club. They admit to mistakes in their raps and show you how life is messy for even the fortunate few. It’s real, it’s raw, it’s Minnesota, it’s perfect. Seeing that perfection translate into a live, hometown performance is always electrifying, and Sunday night was no different. The audience was ready to bounce and sing, the performers were ready to radiate positive energy and be the light in the room which is exactly what they did.

This is all nothing new– that’s the problem. Before I air my grievances, let me just reiterate —I love Atmosphere. I love their music, I love what they have done to put the local music scene on the map —I love it all —but, for the love of freaking all things holy, can we please mix it up a bit? I feel like every time I have seen Atmosphere over the past couple of years, it’s been the same. Their set seems to consist of the same songs, and the banter between songs feels almost scripted from show to show, with moments when it’s the same banter I’ve been hearing for years. Again, this is not me trying to discount the talent or passion behind Atmosphere for, come on, this is a hometown show during a time when the hometown is in pain and terrified. I felt like I wanted to poke these guys with a stick and just say, “Do something different! Give us something more!” If I hadn’t seen Atmosphere as many times as I have, I probably wouldn’t be saying this. Their set, as mentioned, was full of sunshine and passion just like it always is, but at this point, I am jaded. I am spoiled, and I’m a brat. I will admit to that, but, really, couldn’t we have gotten a little extra razzle dazzle?

I know I just went off a wee bit, and I’m slightly sorry about that. Overall, Sunday night was brilliant, and it was the escape that I knew that I needed, and I think that this city needed. Sure, there were things I would have loved to change about the night, but walking out as Atmosphere closed with “Trying to Find a Balance” just felt so right and like the perfect way to set up for a successful week.

Line Up:

Mr. Dibbs

Kool Keith

R.A. The Rugged Man

Sage Francis

Atmosphere

Venue: First Avenue

Smell-O-Meter: Nothing Notable

Average Age of the Crowd: 42

Crowd Surfers- 7

Stage Divers- None

Mosh-ability- 1 out of 10

Amount of Beer Spilled On Me While Walking Around- $8.12

Broken Bones- None Noticed

Spotted Flying Through The Air- A few bodies

Fights- None

Pukers- 0

Passed Out People- 0

Idiots Taken Out By Security – 1

How Many Times I’ve Seen These Bands Before (or at least how many times I can remember)-

Mr. Dibbs – 0

Kool Keith – 0

R.A. The Rugged Man – 0

Sage Francis – 3

Atmosphere – 8

Show on Deck — Lord of the Lost / The Birthday Massacre / Wednesday 13

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