Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Outdoor concerts are officially here, and though it’s still a month before summer technically starts, “The Rebel Ragers” Tour sure did make the Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre in Tinley Park feel like it already arrived.

That’s because it consisted of some of the season’s strongest supporting artists, OutKast’s Big Boi, DJ/producer A-Trak and rapper Chip Tha Ripper, who got the pavilion and lawn going with quite a party (and that was even prior to a headliner who didn’t permit any forms of press coverage).

Of course, recently inducted Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Big Boi is usually used to topping marquees and appeared to be a considerable part of the draw as he intertwined solo and group smashes at lightning speed featuring sidekick Sleepy Brown.

They included such progressive meets psychedelic rap classics as “ATLiens,” “Rosa Parks,” “So Fresh, So Clean” and “Ms. Jackson,” alongside “Kill Jill” and “All Night” from his personal “Boomiverse.”

Outside of “Shutterbugg,” almost the entire remainder of the set focused on other OutKast favorites “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik,” “Player’s Ball,” “Elevators (Me & You),” “B.O.B.” and “The Whole World,” culminating with “The Way You Move” off “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below,” which is the best-selling hip-hop ever album thanks to a whopping 13 million actual copies sold.

There was also a dose of “Kryptonite” and a run through “Int’l Player’s Anthem (I Choose You)” as Big Boi brought a lifetime of envelope-pushing innovation, while continuing to come across as a tough act to follow over three decades later.

Although rapper/alt-pop star M.I.A. was originally scheduled to appear but removed after previous politically-charged comments drew boos, frequent Kid Cudi collaborator Chip Tha Ripper stepped up to the plate in her absence and knocked his laidback brand of “Rapping Paper” out of the park.

In between, EDM veteran A-Trak spun a ton of personally-crafted electro house bangers, building upon child prodigy status behind the turntables to become one of the scene’s leading tastemakers of today and yet another top-shelf choice to warm-up Tinley Park.

For additional information on Big Boi, A-Trak and Chip Tha Ripper, visit BigBoi.com, ATrak.com and KingChip.com.

Upcoming shows at Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre include Santana and The Doobie Brothers (Jun. 13); Godsmack (Jun. 20); Evanescence (Jul. 8); Muse (Jul. 10); John Mellencamp (Jul. 11); Summer Of ’99 And Beyond Festival (Jul. 18-19); The Black Crowes (Jul. 24); Hilary Duff (Jul. 26); Ne-Yo and Akon (Jul. 28); Guns N’ Roses (Jul. 29); Avenged Sevenfold and Good Charlotte (Jul. 30); Train (Aug. 7); Lynyrd Skynyrd (Aug. 15); Five Finger Death Punch (Aug. 19); Mötley Crüe (Aug. 22); Kesha (Aug. 29); John Fogerty and Steve Winwood (Sept. 3); Wu-Tang Clan (Sept. 4); Rob Zombie and Marilyn Manson (Sept. 5); Pitbull (Sept. 13); $uicideboy$ (Sept. 16); Breaking Benjamin (Sept. 18); Tim McGraw (Sept. 19); Iron Maiden (Sept. 22); Staind (Sept. 23) and Hayley Williams (Sept. 24). For additional details, visit LiveNation.com.

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