Iration and Atmosphere recently brought their co-headling tour, Sunshine & Summer Nights, to Charlotte, NC last night. I arrived at the Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheater just as the evening’s thunderstorms finally began to clear. Underground hip-hop duo Atmosphere took the stage shortly thereafter. Since their formation in 1996, the duo has put out twelve studio albums.
The audience began to cheer as Sean Daley, better known as Slug, made his way towards the front of the stage. His DJ and producer, Ant, took his place behind him. They played a career-spanning set, full of nostalgic favorites like, “Puppets”, “Sunshine”, and “Pour Me Another”. Slug knew how to hype up the crowd, and often inserted inspiring messages in between songs. He spoke of what Atmosphere is about—wanting everyone to feel welcome, included, and good.
As their set got closer to the end, Slug asked Ant to give him a beat, and the duo launched into a freestyle rap, making sure to mention both Charlotte and North Carolina in it. They closed the set with what is arguably their most popular song, “Trying to Find a Balance”.
Iration finally took the stage around 9:30pm. While every member is originally from Hawaii, the group currently hails from Santa Barbara, CA. They are classified as “sunshine reggae”, and blend reggae, pop, dub, and rock. The band is made up of Micah Pueschel (lead vocals, guitar), Adam Taylor (bass), Cayson Peterson (keyboards/synth), Joseph Dickens (drums), Micah Brown (lead guitar, vocals), and Drake Peterson (percussion, trumpet).
I immediately understood the term “sunshine reggae” as soon as they began to play. I’m not sure it’s even possible to listen to their music without feeling instantly happier and more relaxed. The audience was simply vibing, and the smell of marijuana filled the air.
If you have the chance to catch this tour near you, I suggest you do yourself the favor of purchasing a ticket! The Sunshine & Summer Nights tour is not to be missed for a bit of an escape from reality, at least for the evening.
IRATION SETLIST:
- New Style
- Guava Lane
- Automatic
- Falling
- Stay Awake
- Already Gold
- Coastin’
- Reelin’
- Turn Around by
- Mr. Operator
- Midnight
- Regulate (Warren G cover)
- Time Bomb
- Energy
- Summer Nights
- The Way I Feel (Katastro cover)
