The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Big Boi ready to return to stage
Big Grams and The Famwill join him at Big Night Out Sunday.
For the second weekend this month, Atlanta concertgoershave options.
Maybe not the same options we’reusedtoin arenasandamphitheaters, but better- than- nothingenjoyit- while- you- can options.
The “Live from the Drive- In” series wraps Saturday night in the parking lot of Ameris Bank Amphitheatre in Alpharetta with Yacht Rock Revue, but in downtown Atlanta, the Big Night Out is taking over Centennial Olympic Park.
The three- night event kicked off Friday with Moon Taxi and Pigeons Playing Ping- Pong, with tonight’s showing of Futurebirds and theMarcus KingTrio. OnSunday, Atlanta hip- hop icon and half of OutKast, Big Boi, will wrap the event with a bunch of friends, including Big Grams, KPthe Great and possibly some of his beloved owls.
This will be his first time back onstage since the pandemicnixed the debut of his Kryptonite Festival inthe spring ( He’s “absolutely” planning to revisit it in 2021) and while he, like everyone else, is unsure aboutwhat to expect from a crowd tucked into “pods” on the park grounds, he’s also — like everyone else — eager to experience live music again.
Calling from Stankonia studio in Atlanta earlier this week, Big Boi talked about what fans can
expect at the Big Night Out, the return of Big Grams and the 20th anniversary of OutKast's “Stankonia.”
Q: Whenwe talked back in April, you were adjustingprettywelltopandemic life, hangingwithyourfamily and in the sauna. What didyouwindupdoingduring the summer?
A:
I was recording and working out and taking care ofmy body and hanging out with the kids. I recorded a lot of music. We finished “Big Sleepover” ( his collaborationwith Sleepy Brown) and we're about to start the new Big Grams album this week. We finished theGoodieMob album and I did a few features. I just have a head full of beats and I'm sitting at the house hearingmy beat playlist on shuffle.
Q: Howdoyoufeelabout getting back on stage?
A: I think it's going to be fun, but it's going to beweird for me. I'm used to people being right there ( near the stage), but I think themusic and energy from the speakers will do the job. I think the 808s are gonna shake the place. You can't stop the vibrations.
Q: WithBigGramsadded to the lineup, will this be
the first time you’ve performed with Phantogram since the dates you did in 2016?
A:
Yep, it's a reunion of sorts. Itcameaboutlastweek. We were trying to make it special and at the same time we were talking about since I just finished the Sleepy album, let's start on a Big Grams album and let's rock together in Atlanta.
Q: Have you seen Phantogrammuch since 2016?
A: Oh yeah. I'll go to L. A. and hang out. We're friends. We're really close.
Q: What can you tell us about plans for the new album?
A: You gotta expect the unexpected. There will be somerealweirdo, jamming... intergalactic songs.
Q: For your set on Sunday, you’ve also got KP The Great and The Fam — the Dungeon Family — on board. Mightwe see some other surprises?
A: ( Laughs) Some. Maybe. Whatever we can fit inside 90 minutes! KP is great and we'll have Kneel ' N Rey, a newgroupfromtheDungeon Family. It's really tripped out, like electro- bass, rock, funk. TheyopenedfortheDungeon Family on the ( reunion) tour last year. We're gonna have a crazy rehearsal. There's so much material and Iwant to give the people a little bit of everything.
Q: Will you have a band with you as well as a DJ?
A: I gotta bringmy bassist and guitarist with me. I can't see it no other way.
Q: The 20th anniversary of “Stankonia” is in a couple ofweeks ( Oct. 30) and is getting a big reissue. How involved were you and Andre ( 3000) in putting together the expanded version and singles bundles?
A: Very involved. We had a 50- page packet, an OutKast teamZoom call. When Sony came to us, it was like, “OK, cool.” I'm excited that one ofmy favorite songs they're releasing is the “So Fresh, So Clean” remix with Snoop Dogg. It's been in the vault, which I'm sitting right next to now.
Q: What goes through yourmindwhenyouthink of that album?
A:
Time goes by fast. Life is for the living and to create memories and bring positive energytothisworldandthat's whatwe've been doing since (“Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik”). I feel blessed and honored to still be doing it.
Q: What do you think whenyoulookbackat that album cover?
A: I want my hair back! I shouldanevercutmyhair. My son is walking around here with the hair I used to have.