By Daniel Paiz

Red Rocks hosts Atmosphere Rocks 4 as making party returns to Colorado with an All-Star lineup of talent across generations. Newcomers NOFUN! opened up the show, followed by the energetic Skratch Bastid, and the timeless trio Deltron 3030. Afterwards it was time for some ’90s time travel from Method Man & Red Man, before Atmosphere closed out the evening.

The openers

NOFUN!

This crowded crew of characters busted all over the Red Rocks stage to start the night. This collective of nine musicians hails from all across the United States and the world. They are a rumbling concoction of Hip Hop meets Rock meets Pop meets who knows what else; the musical result is fascinating.

The collective knew how to get the crowd involved, and the organized chaos got people on their feet. Everybody up there seems to have a particular talent, and each artist also appears to be working on solo material in addition to NOFUN! projects. For some reason, this collective seems eerily similar to the one The Weeknd mentored in his show entitled The Idol.

It’s likely not that at all, but one does have to wonder…that’ll be resolved another day.

Skratch Bastid

Joining the ranks of Breakbeat Lou, Mr. Dibbs, Sol Messiah, DJ Abilities, and Z-Trip for these stacked lineups is no small task, but Skratch Bastid showed why he belongs. An organizer of music meets BBQs amongst many other things, Bastid did what all the greats before him did: he had a blast. This guy showcased an array of turntable skills. Then, he decided to show the crowd what samples of some fairly popular songs were.

His entire set flew by! The fluidity of his track selections, mixing, and scratching were far too entertaining to do anything else but watch. What really sealed the deal was Bastid’s excitement with the crowd. This pro selector might’ve been the one creating musical magic, but Skratch was like the rest of us: hopping around, busting a move and a grin before the set ended.

Deltron 3030

Dan the Automator, Kid Koala and Del the Funky Homosapein might’ve been the most subdued performance of the night; however, they still brought it on the mic and decks. Kid Koala is the unsung hero of the evening, powering Deltron’s set with pure vinyl. His scratching shook the venue, and this audience witnessed something special. This crowd bounced around during energetic tracks and appeared mesmerized for the more thought-provoking tunes.

The ability to adapt was also on full display, as Del was about to start rapping his famous verse feature on The Gorillaz’ “Clint Eastwood”. For some reason, another track came blaring out the speakers and it wasn’t clear what was happening. While the confusion was dealt with, this Funky Homosapien freestyled some lines and engaged with the audience.

Unfortunately, the set was deemed over, and the trio left the stage; but, not before Del expressed how much he enjoys playing Red Rocks and appreciated the crowd. A weird situation to be sure, but handled quite well by these seasoned pros.

The headliner before the headliner

Method Man & Red Man

A duo that’s visited Red Rocks countless times, this was the first time the writer before you witnessed these veterans. Method Man sometimes hasn’t made it for Wu-Tang Clan shows in Colorado, largely due to acting commitments. Luckily tonight wasn’t one of those instances as these two put the crowd into a workout. That ’90s energy rappers of that era have is unmatched.

Said energy comes from immeasurable love for this culture and music known as Hip-Hop, which Red Man professed repeatedly. Both emcees tapped into their grand catalogues throughout the night, shifting from smooth to abrasive to meditative along the way. The interaction between fans and artists also improved the evening as call-and-response was fully expected. “Da Rockwilder” is a song that’ll move crowds regardless of familiarity with Meth and Red.

That song was the perfect way to complete their set and prep the crowd for Atmosphere.

Here’s your hosts of this magical evening of making party

Atmosphere

No hold up, at the grocery store I’ll be all up in front of you saying “whoa let it shine”

-Slug when explaining why they have to play certain songs because people get them tattooed and they don’t want to get jumped for not playing someone’s favorite song

Another night of making party, another therapy session amongst the stars. Ant, Plain Ole Bill, and Slug all converged before a raucous crowd fueled by the magical four previous acts. It really felt as if the night had ended with Method Man & Red Man walking off the stage.

In typical Slug fashion, the veteran emcee reminded the crowd who still runs these majestic rocks.

There were the standards such as “Sunshine”, “GodLovesUgly” and “Yesterday”. There were the ones you had to dig for a little bit, such as “Shoulda Known”, “Perfect”, and “God’s Bathroom Floor”. The self-described “song that made people care about Atmosphere” according to Slug (paraphrasing here) dropped too, entitled “Scapegoat.”

Slug captured the crowd early and swayed them to his will, playfully and with consent of course. There were reminders that the call and response is to have the audience get involved, enjoy the show, and realize there’s joy to still be had. Despite the blue marble all of us are spinning on, there is some joy to be found, and one has to celebrate that and realize it’s okay to have joy.

As this sweaty and overly hot Friday night wraps up, the trio everyone came to witness plays their signature finale song “Trying To Find A Balance”. They wave, depart from those still in attendance and the song closes out a fourth year of making party.