By Daniel Paiz

Atmosphere & Friends Colorado goes full nostalgia with a very entertaining lineup at Red Rocks on a very autumnal Saturday. DJ Lala, RA the Rugged Man, Slick Rick, 3OH!3, Everlast, and Atmosphere all graced the stage with a multitude of sounds and rhymes ranging across the entire United States. This is probably the most eclectic lineup Slug and Ant have put together in the six years I’ve been attending this Fall Atmosphere and Friends Colorado series.

Attendees of Red Rocks were excited for every act from start to finish.

Openers

DJ Lala

Lala brings all the energy and all the tracks across classic Hip-Hop when rocking behind the wheels of steel. Songs from the East coast, West Coast, down South and everything in between rattled out as fans trickled in. Even with a knee brace on, Lala walked in front of her DJ set up and busted some breaking moves towards the end of her set.

Were they the cleanest freezes a breakdancer has performed at Red Rocks? Unlikely. Were they some of the most energetic and gutsiest ones performed at this venue? Quite likely. Lala set the tone for the rest of the night.

RA the Rugged Man

The self-proclaimed loser brought his Hip-Hop steeze to the stage in all the core pillars of Hip Hop. He made sure to shine a light on his fantastic DJ, DJ Lala (who also did some rapping during his set). Rugged Man asked the crowd to get excited, get involved, and for the breakdancers to come to the stage. Two people ended up doing so, and RA appreciated their efforts. Collaboration tracks such as “Dangerous” with Brother Ali and Masta Ace, “C*nt Renaissance” with the Notorious B.I.G, and more graced the speakers as the set raced along.

A special, unexpected moment happened at the end of RA’s set when he asked Slug of Atmosphere to be the godfather of his youngest daughter, who apparently is 2.5 months old. Slug said yes, and the crowd went wild. That’s not something you witness every day at Red Rocks.

Slick Rick

The only concerning set the entire night was the Ruler’s performance. This is the second time in three years Slick Rick has not sounded the best and seemed to have limited movements throughout. Rick might be as happy and healthy as ever outside of Colorado, but when he performs here recently it doesn’t feel right. Rhymes feel rushed, words are skipped over, something is different.

“Street Talkin'”, “Hey Young World”, and “Children’s Story” were among the handful of tunes Rick tackled. Some of these older songs seemed to bring a bit of pep, an extra glimmer in the Ruler’s eyes as he performs them. I am a fan of Slick Rick, I’ve appreciated each time I’ve witnessed the legend perform. It’s not enjoyable to bring these points up, but it just seems like something is off for this Hip-Hop legend when he performs in Colorado.

DJ Z-Trip

Z-Trip has to be one of the most consistent acts in terms of quality and creativity I have experienced in my seasoned concert going life. This man will mix up everyone and anyone together, and just make it work. The joy Z has from doing this, the way he monitors the crowd to see what’s hitting and what might be not quite there yet is impressive. Every lineup that adds this DJ is advising the crowd “this is something you are going to want to see”.

There were plenty of songs mashed up, but there was one that stood out. Daft Punk’s “Harder Better Faster Stronger” was mixed in with either a Metallica or AC/DC track it seemed like, but the name of the song eludes me. At any rate, it was a fantastic mashup and Red Rocks was treated to amazing combos the whole set.

3OH!3

One of the more notable contemporary acts out of Boulder, Colorado, 3OH!3 appears to still have a fairly strong following all these years later. “My First Kiss”, “STARSTRUKK”, and “DONTTRUSTME” were performed throughout their set. The duo of Sean Foreman and Nathaniel Motte have been making irreverent tunes since their inception in the 2000s, and they haven’t lost a step since then.

Despite all the antics and whatnot, this group clearly appreciated Slug inviting them to this lineup, and they made the best of their set time.

Headliners

Everlast

If you had told me that in 2026 that I would be hearing “I Get By” and “What It’s Like” from Everlast, I would have given some serious side-eye. Fast forward to a cool mid-September evening and that was exactly the case. Everlast aka Whitey Ford aka Erik Francis Schrody presented themselves as one appreciative and quietly excited soul walking onto that Red Rocks stage. DJ Z-Trip played the DJ slash drummer for Schrody’s set, which was efficient and exciting.

The frontman of House of Pain had a handful of songs to sing, and that deep voice didn’t waste a second in letting the crowd know what it’s like to be in Morrison, Colorado. After his set was over, he returned to the stage briefly to play a certain song with Slug, Ant, and Plain Ole Bill; let’s save that for the last chapter below.

Atmosphere

There’s something special about a group performing at a venue year after year, and each performance has a different feel than the last time. The songs aren’t all that different. Newer tracks like “Really” and “Okay” slide between classics like “You”, “The Loser Wins”, and “GodLovesUgly”.

“Sunshine” and “Yesterday” always sneak into the setlist at unexpected times, giving the crowd a chance to cool down, relax, and reflect on life and lost loved ones. Perhaps it’s that feeling of community in shared experiences in a way. Everyone has lost someone. Everyone has dealt with hardships and difficulties. Folks have also experienced some kind of joy or not awful experience, too. “Party for the Fight to Write” and “The Best Day” offer some reprieve from life as well, which an Atmosphere set generally does each time one witnesses this trio.

There’s also some banter with the crowd, some middle fingers put up to flip off our other middle fingers. Folks put up camera lights and lighters. The crowd shouts their approval, and then everyone gets to witness what sounded like a bucket list item for Slug and company.

“Jump Around” with Everlast, Z-Trip, Plain ole Bill, Ant, and Slug on stage at Red Rocks is something I never expected to see. All the verses from that song were performed. All the excitement was on stage and throughout the 70 or so rows of fans. Moments like this don’t happen all the time, and the crowd and the performers sensed this.

Tack on a freestyle from Slug (always fun because they are always random and actually freestyled) and “Trying To Find A Balance” after that, and you have yourself a memorable ending to a fun night.