Photo: Mic to Mic. Click on the photo to view a photoset of pics from the show.

"You girls don't look like you'd go to a hip-hop show."

The doorman at the Highline Ballroom -- a large, black man in a faux-fur purple coat -- eyed my friend and me inquisitively as we exited the venue after watching DJ JS-1, Mix Master Mike, and Rahzel perform.

"How am I not hip-hop?" I asked the doorman.

He lifted my Dr. Who-esque scarf with a limp wrist and rolled his eyes in good humor.

"I'm not from around here," I laughed. "And I don't front."

He bowed to us and laughed.

I have had the pleasure of seeing Mix Master Mike perform solo before, but never in an environment and with an audience like that at the Highline Ballroom in New York City on March 5. The audience was comprised of major hip-hop heads: young men wearing their hoodies over their heads, who studied the turntablists performing on stage with extreme concentration and scrutiny. My friends and I -- major Beastie Boys heads -- were a minority in the audience.

DJ JS-1 began the show with an impressive DJ set. If Mix Master Mike ever decides to retire, Beastie Boys need to call this guy. DJ JS-1's style is very similar to Mix Master Mike's -- a lot of cutting and scratching and incorporating of old skool rap samples.

Later, when DJ JS-1 introduced Mix Master Mike to the audience, he called the Beastie Boys' DJ "his idol" and raved about Mix Master Mike's abilities. "You're in for something special," DJ JS-1 warned the audience.

For Mix Master Mike's set, my friends and I moved to the front of the stage, the exact same spot we had the previous night at the Beastie Boys show at Terminal 5. After our disappointment with the sound at the Beastie Boys show, we were elated with how excellent the sound was at the Highline Ballroom. Mix Master Mike sounded supreme.

Dressed in a Clash t-shirt, Mix Master Mike walked on stage and struck a "I'm the master" pose (arms folded and chin up) before beginning his hour-long set. It is almost impossible to describe what and how Mix Master Mike performs. Watching him perform is like watching a Nascar race. Your eyes can only follow the cars but not understand what the drivers are doing to make the cars move as they do.

Watching Mix Master Mike perform, I thought, "Dang, he really holds back when he's with the Beastie Boys!" What Mix Master Mike does with the Beastie Boys is only 2% illustrative of what he's capable of doing as a DJ. I hope the Beastie Boys know how lucky they are to have a DJ of Mix Master Mike's calibre on their team.

Mix Master Mike's set at the Highline Ballroom was completely entertaining and inspiring. Halfway through the set, a b-boy battle broke out on the floor that drew everyone's attention away from the stage. It's not often you see people breakdancing at a live concert. (At least, I don't see it often!) I imagine inspiring a b-boy battle is one of the biggest compliments a DJ can receive.

My favorite part of Mix Master Mike's set was a section in which he mixed and cut the Beastie Boys "14th Street Break" (from The Mix-Up). My friends and I howled with delight at what he did with the song! Beastie Boys need to forget about a vocal version of the album with other artists and let Mix Master Mike do his thang to the album. It was IN-CRED-I-BLE!! One of the reasons I delayed writing this review is I hoped to find video or audio of this moment of the show. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to locate any video or audio. The following video, recorded at Mix Master Mike's show in Fayetteville, Arkansas, is a fair representation of his set at the Highline Ballroom:



Probably only major Beastie Boys fans would recognize how much of the Beastie Boys Mix Master Mike incorporates in his solo sets. Sometimes it's just a single word sample by Adam Yauch or a goofy noise made by Mike Diamond or Adam Horovitz, but you recognize it. Mix Master Mike has a DJ style that seems improvisational, like he's making everything up as he performs; however, I'm fairly certain that's not the case. I think he's a master because he knows what he's doing in advance and has planned for it.

DJing is an art that is intimidating and a challenge to write about, unless you are a DJ yourself. Most DJs prefer spinning than writing, so it's rare to find informative or insightful reviews of DJ shows. In my search for other reviews of the Highline Ballroom show, I was only able to find one other review at Open Season NYC.

I don't profess to know a heck of a lot about the art of DJing; I only know when I like what I hear. What I heard that night at the Highline Ballroom from DJ JS-1, Mix Master Mike, and Rahzel (a huge teddybear of a man who beatboxes with charm and humor) was fantastic. If you have the opportunity to catch any of these performers live, do it! And try to write about it because these artists deserve to be written about.

If anything shines through in my review, I hope it's my admiration and respect for the artists.

Audio Technician - DJ JS-1 featuring Immortal Technique, Lifelong, and Mix Master Mike (from Ground Original, 2003) (4.14 MB mp3 via Savefile)

Please check out the rare Mix Master Mike album download posted at Wall to Wall.

A short, one-minute clip of Adam Yauch's basketball documentary, Gunnin' for That #1 Spot, features one of the players, Kevin Love. The video was posted at Oscilloscope Lab's newly created Youtube account.

Additionally, a slideshow of photo stills from the film has been added to IMDb.

According to O-scope, there should be a trailer up soon. You can receive updates on the film by registering at Gunninmovie.com or visiting the film's Facebook page.

An article published in the March 20th issue of Hollywood Reporter provides a few more details about the release of Adam Yauch's film Gunnin' for That #1 Spot.

After its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, the film will be released in the top 10 markets on its opening weekend (June 27), followed by a national release in July.

The best thing about the Beastie Boys fan community is the kindness of its members. The generosity and goodwill shared among fans amazes me. Fans are constantly doing nice things for other fans -- for no reason other than to be nice. A shared positive spirit exists among Beastie Boys fans that one does not find often in other bands’ fan communities -- or in any type of community, for that matter. In general, Beastie Boys fans are a lot like the band: goofy and huge-hearted.

Fans often write to me to share interesting stories and material with the fan community via Mic to Mic, Beastiemania.com, and now Wall to Wall. One fan contacted me recently to share a dvd that he compiled. "A Sampler's Guide to Paul's Boutique" is a collection of the songs the Beastie Boys sampled on their ground-breaking and much-loved album. The dvd, which is available to download in two parts via Wall to Wall [NEW LINKS: Part 1 and Part 2], includes printable cover art and a tracklist that details how the songs were sampled.

Props to JB for making this dvd available to the fan community. It contains educational material that every serious Beastie Boys should listen to and study. Many of the songs are out-of-print, hard-to-find, or available on vinyl only. The free download is accompanied with a message to support the artists and buy their records if you like what you hear.

If you have something you would like to share with the fan community, please email us or send a PM to Klepto or Midzi on the Beastie Boys Message Board.

Money Mark is among the artists who will be performing at the Bonnaroo Music Festival. The four-day festival takes place June 12-15, 2008, in Manchester, Tennessee. You may purchase tickets at Bonnarootickets.com.

To see some candid photos of Mark at the South by Southwest Festival, visit Chumpchampion's Beautiful Losers SXSW Flickr photoset. Some of our favorites pics in the set: Mark with a doggie friend; Mark showing the most important keyboard finger; and Mark petting a pig.

Facio has posted a few photos of Money Mark opening for Kinky in Santa Barbara last week at Flickr. See them here and here.

We recently discovered that both Money Mark and Mix Master Mike contributed to Slightly Stoopid's last album Chronchitis, which was produced by Mario Caldato, Jr. We're not sure what tracks they contributed to, except we know Mark played synths on "Otherside." If you know any details about this release, please contact us.

Which of the following artists sampled the Beastie Boys' "The New Style" the best?

Big Daddy Kane - Mister Cee's Master Plan (1988) [mp3]

The Pharcyde - Drop (1995) [mp3]

J Dilla - The New (2006) [mp3]

Ying Yang Twins - Drop (2008) [mp3]

My friend Rachel, who volunteered at the South by Southwest Festival (SXSW) in Austin, Texas, had the opportunity to meet Money Mark when he was there last week and see Beautiful Losers, the film for which he scored the music. I asked Rachel to tell me about the film. Rachel shared the following:

Beautiful Losers is a documentary about artists. The music was mostly all done by Money Mark. It was an amazing film -- definitely my favorite of the festival.

The film followed about five artists. Each artist explained what got them started with the art scene and different aspects of the art subculture. It had a section about skateboarding, music, graffiti, and fashion. I loved the way it was composed and how all the stories grew and connected. There were some funny parts, but also some sad parts. It wasn't just a documentary that informs; it also inspires you to be creative and think differently.

At one point, the film showed some of the work done by the artists and I recognized a poster for the Beastie Boys. It's the one with a triangular stack of speakers with "Beastie Boys" printed underneath. It's white with pink, orange, and red [the 1995 Quadraphonic Stereo Tour design].

I think that if you're interested in art, street art, creativity, or cool stuff, you'd be interested in Beautiful Losers.

After the movie was screened at the festival, Money Mark participated in a Q&A with the audience. See Rachel's photos from the Q&A at Flickr.

While at SXSW, Money Mark conducted a short video interview with QuinnStorm.com and talked about his involvement with Beautiful Losers and the Beastie Boys recent shows:

Yesterday the Tribeca Film Festival announced the spotlight and showcase films for this year's festival. Adam Yauch's documentary, Gunnin' for That #1 Spot, is one of the spotlight films premiering at the festival. A press release by the festival provided the following information:
Gunnin’ for That #1 Spot, directed by Adam Yauch. (USA) - World Premiere, Documentary. Rucker Park. The mecca for all street basketball players. In Beastie Boy Yauch’s super-energized and highly musical documentary, eight of the country’s top 24 high school players participate in the first “Elite 24” tournament on the same court that helped turn Dr. J, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain into legends. An Oscilloscope Pictures Release. Part of the Tribeca/ESPN Sports Film Festival.

The festival will take place April 23 - May 4, 2008, in Lower Manhattan.

Register to receive email updates from Oscilloscope Pictures at Gunninmovie.com.

Dalai Lama Won’t Stop Tibet Protests

From Beastieboys.com:

hey all,

hope you don't mind me hitting you on the b-boys blast line, but things are really getting intense in tibet now. it's coming to a head. i just hope that all of the suffering that the tibetan protesters are enduring leads to some positive change, hence this letter. we can push our governments to lean on the chinese government to stop the cultural genocide.

attached below is a news bulletin that i got this morning. if you are a US citizen please take the time to write to your local congress representative and ask them to get to work. if you are a citizen of another country, you can ask your government reps...

it would be sad if what is happening in tibet now had no constructive result.

thanks,
adam

Urgent Action: Tell your Congressional Representative to Support Tibet

In horrific late breaking news, Radio Free Asia is now reporting that up to 80 or more Tibetans have been killed in today’s violent clashes with Chinese military. Chinese authorities responded with brute force today to ongoing protests in Lhasa and across Tibet. Supported by tanks, thousands of armed troops have sealed off the three major monasteries where nonviolent protests were initiated on Monday. Chinese police have fired live ammunition into crowds of unarmed Tibetans and unconfirmed reports from eye-witnesses in Lhasa say that 26 Tibetans were gunned down outside Drapchi prison. While the international public and media have been appropriately horrified by China’s clampdown, the U.S. has made only very weak statements. White House Spokesman Tony Fratto said, “We believe Beijing needs to respect Tibetan culture. They need to respect multi-ethnicity in their society. We regret the tensions between ethnic groups and Beijing.”

Please contact your Congressional Representatives now and urge them to support Tibet by calling on the U.S Government to strongly condemn China’s actions.

FIND OUT WHO YOUR LOCAL MEMBER OF CONGRESS IS

TAKE ACTION

We've learned of a few more performance dates for both Money Mark and Mix Master Mike. If they're in your arrreeeaaa, be sure to get out and see them. Individually (i.e., without the Beastie Boys), they are great artists who put on fantastic live shows.

Money Mark Concert Dates*
March 17 - House of Blues, Anaheim, California [tickets]
March 18 - Mayan Theatre, Los Angeles, California [tickets]
March 19 - Harlow's, Sacramento, California [tickets]

*Opening for Kinky

Mix Master Mike Concert Dates
April 25 - Kaserne Basel, Basel, Switzerland [ticket info]
May 2 - Stahlwerk, Düsseldorf, Germany [ticket info]

Today we added a "2008 Mix Master Mike Concert Dates" quick link list to Mic to Mic (see right-hand column).

You've been waiting. Now here it is. Big hair and goofy talk.

The Diamond family drive to the Hamptons

Tamra Davis has "gone Hollywood" with her blog and cooking videos by featuring celebrity guests. In her newest cooking video (part 1 of 3), in which she prepares salmon salad, the Diamond family travel to the Hamptons to visit actor Ed Burns and supermodel Christy Turlington and their children.

Photo by Brian Birzer, Birzerphoto.com

Brian Birzer posted some amazing photos of Money Mark performing at Buffalo Billiard's in Austin, Texas, last night as part of the South by Southwest Festival. Click on the above photo to see more of Birzer's photos.

There are also several photos of Mark at SXSW at Green Little blog.

Despite anything you may have read or heard elsewhere, Beastie Boys are not currently in Austin, Texas, at the South by Southwest Festival and will not be performing a secret show there.

Adam Yauch, who is now a big-wig film exec in addition to being a Beastie Boy, attended the festival to see some films. But he's strictly there to watch, not perform.

Money Mark, on the other hand, IS performing at the festival. Mark's show is tonight at Buffalo Billiards. You must have a SXSW badge or know someone to get into the show.

A generous taper has posted a torrent of the Beastie Boys set at the Langerado Festival on March 7, 2008, at bt.etree.org. For the torrent-impaired and/or lazy, I made the mp3s below from the .flac files.

Contrary to some fan accounts, Beastie Boys did not perform a new song at the festival. They did, however, do an extended "Work It Out in the Glades" introduction for "Ch-Check It Out."

Beastie Boys Live at the Langerado Festival [LINKS EXPIRED]
March 7, 2008

Crowd Cheers
MMM Intro
The Biz vs The Nuge
Time for Livin'
Gratitude
Super Disco Breakin'
Triple Trouble
Sure Shot
Shake Your Rump (served with shrimp and wheel ups)
Tough Guy
Remote Control
Sabrosa / Lighten Up
Off the Grid
Root Down ("Big Mike D is in the house!")
Rhymin' & Stealin'
Flute Loop
Pass the Mic ("Big Mike D in the area!")
Ricky's Theme
B for My Name
Pow
Shambala
Egg Raid on Mojo
Alright Hear This (with the One Wheelie Dub by Mike)
3 MC's and 1 DJ (with a discussion about MMM's sneeze guard)
Body Movin' (with a discussion about Mike's sweater)
So What'cha Want
Encore (Crowd Cheers)
Intergalactic
Ch-Check It Out
Sabotage

If you download the torrent, which I highly recommend, please note that track 12 is "Sabrosa" AND "Lighten Up." It's labeled as "Lighten Up" only.

Photo by Producción MX Beat

Thanks to 3d-alex, we have a setlist and some details about the Beastie Boys performance in Toluca, Mexico, at the MX Beat Soundfest.

Setlist
MMM Intro [VIDEO (w/Root Down)]
Root Down [VIDEO // ALTERNATE VIDEO]
Sure Shot [VIDEO - pt 1 & pt 2 // ALTERNATE VIDEO]
Triple Trouble [VIDEO]
Shake Your Rump
Sabrosa [VIDEO of end of song & then Beastie Boys pow-wow on stage]
Pass the Mic [VIDEO]
Ch-Check It Out [VIDEO]
No Sleep Til Brooklyn [VIDEO (check out MMM's contribution)]
Time for Livin'
Remote Control [VIDEO]
Egg Raid on Mojo
Flute Loop
Brass Monkey [VIDEO]
Body Movin' [VIDEO]
Gratitude [VIDEO]
B for My Name
Tough Guy
Rhymin' & Stealin'
3 MC's and 1 DJ [VIDEO // ALTERNATE VIDEO]
So What'cha Want [VIDEO // ALTERNATE VIDEO // AND ANOTHER (w/Intergalactic)]
Intergalactic [VIDEO // ALTERNATE VIDEO // AND ANOTHER]
Sabotage [VIDEO // ALTERNATE VIDEO]

3d-alex shares:

They started 45 minutes late, just after MIA. The show was great; they played great. Only MCA seemed a little laid back. I think I heard the guys said that he had the flu, but I could be wrong. They seemed really happy to be there. All of them made a toast with some wine (or that's what it seemed) just before "Sabotage" because it was their first time playing in Mexico. In the middle of "Check It Out," they tried to make the crowd raise their hand and point their index finger and say "FRESH!" It kind of worked. The overall response was great, for a crowd that had been waiting several hours while the weather was getting colder and colder. I am pretty sure that it got to 0° Centigrades (32° Fahrenheit), maybe lower. I was happy that I finally got to see them after they canceled the shows here a few years ago.

...The sound was great. I keep reading that the sound wasn't great, but to me it was fine. It maybe had to do with my standing right next to the soundboard.

Photos





Press

A review by Diez a uno ("...the band's dynamic performance of 'Sabotage' was enough for Mexican fans to forgive them for ignoring their country for 20 years")

A report at Milenio.com

A review by La Jornada ("After a 45-minute delay, the Beastie Boys performed a funny and eclectic set that impressed the Mexican audience...There were major sound problems but the band's energy saved the concert.")

If you live in Los Angeles and need to borrow a cup of sugar, you can knock on Mix Master Mike's door. The Los Angeles Times reports that Mix Master Mike purchased a three-bedroom home in the Sunset Strip area this week.

A one-minute commercial for The Upsetter: The Life & Music of Lee "Scratch" Perry

Beastie Boys are featured in a new documentary about Lee "Scratch" Perry, which is currently being screened at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin, Texas. The Upsetter: The Life & Music of Lee "Scratch" Perry, by directors Ethan Higbee and Adam Bhala Lough, tells the "fascinating story of Perry, a visionary musician and artist from poor rural Jamaica, who journeyed to the big city in the late 1950's with dreams of making it in the burgeoning record industry."

Adam Yauch is rumored to be making a stop at the festival in Austin to help promote the film on the Beastie Boys return from Mexico. For screening dates and times, visit the SXSW web site.

Watch the film's trailer (which includes a quote by Mike D) at theupsettermovie.com.

Photo by Izzy

Setlist
MMM Intro [video // alternate video]
The Biz vs The Nuge
Time for Livin' [video // alternate video]
Gratitude [video]
Super Disco Breakin' [video // alternate video (w/Triple Trouble)]
Triple Trouble [video // alternate video]
Sure Shot [video // alternate video // and another]
Shake Your Rump [video // alternate video (with some "Wheel ups!")]
Tough Guy [video]
Remote Control [video]
Sabrosa [video
Lighten Up [video // alternate video]
Off the Grid [video]
Root Down [video //alternate video // and another]
Rhymin' & Stealin' [video // alternate video // and another]
Flute Loop
Pass the Mic [video]
B for My Name
Pow
Shambala [video]
Egg Raid on Mojo
Alright Hear This
3 MC's and 1 DJ [video // alternate video // and another]
Body Movin'
So What'cha Want [video]
Intergalactic [video]
Ch-Check It Out [video - pt 1 & pt 2]
Sabotage [video // alternate video // and another]

There's a compilation video of "Root Down" and "Intergalactic" here.

Photos



Press

Review by the Palm Beach Post

Review by the Miami Herald

Review by Grooveshark.com

Review by the Sun-Sentinel

Photo by Pooty

From Palm Beach Post:

Beastie Boys Excited to be Heading South for Langerado
By Leslie Gray Streeter, Palm Beach Post Music Writer

"Do you look back at high school and those times, and see that it's different? Are you the same?"

Adam Horowitz probably doesn't mean to sound annoyed at the question, but for just a second, there's an unmistakable edge to his voice as he gears up to explain how two decades after their debut as hip-hop's premier party boys, Langerado Festival headliners the Beastie Boys have emerged as one of music's best-respected groups, activists and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees.

"We were under a magnifying glass," says Horowitz, who with Adam Yauch and Mike Diamond have produced several masterpieces of staggering diversity - from their raucous major-label debut Licensed to Ill, to the sonically adventurous Paul's Boutique and Ill Communication, to the New York love letter To The 5 Boroughs and the recent instrumental The Mix-Up.

"If we were still acting like fools at a party, I don't think we would have lasted, do you?" the artist formerly known as Adrock continues, and the more he talks, the dumber the question seems.

"We are the same band, but we've had enough maturity - we've gone through changes. That's one of the things about the band I'm in. We don't always do the same thing. Each time, it makes me happy to do what we do."

And that's probably the best answer to an admittedly clichéd question - the Beastie Boys do what they do because they've been around long enough to evolve, but not around long enough, unfortunately, to avoid answering the same questions over and over.

Question: Are you guys psyched about Langerado?

Answer: I'm probably more excited about it because I'm in New York and it's snowing and 33 degrees here.

Q: Fair answer. What else did you know about the festival other than that it was in Florida?

A: (laughs) That's it!

Q: Well, I'll tell you. It's got a very long tradition of having the best jam bands in the country, and over the past couple of years they've expanded to a more diverse lineup and bigger stars like you guys and REM this year.

A: Oh, we can jam. We jam out.

I like festivals, because they're a different audience than with playing our shows. And they'll show you who's there just to see you and who's just drunk and doesn't wanna go home. Festivals are more work, actually.

Q: How so?

A: We've done European festivals with so many different kinds of acts on stage. We played one right before (disco glam hybrids) The Scissor Sisters, and that was a different crowd. (Chuckles) They hated us. They are not a hip-hop crowd.

That was not a lot of fun for us. And all the sound went off two times during the show.

Usually, we have fun with things that are different. But it wasn't boring.

Q: There are very few of your contemporaries from the '80s scene still recording hit records still around, particularly in hip-hop. Is your success a signal that rap and hip-hop were so much more of an elastic form that the naysayers thought?

A: That thing is very interesting to me, because it's such an issue with some people - "Is hip-hop going to last?" For 20 years, there's been billions and billions of rap records sold. Everyone at this point is inspired by hip-hop, anyone making popular music, anyway. That gets me going. I think rap is like jazz, an elastic form of music.

Q: Do you hear people on the radio and know immediately that they were influenced by you guys?

A: Sometimes, but not as much as I would think.

I assume that other rappers know about Licensed to Ill. It was one of those records, like Run-D.M.C.'s Raising Hell, that if you like rap, you'd probably know. But I don't hear us so much.

Q: I guess the point is that whoever makes it, rap's never gone anywhere.

A: McDonald's is making rap commercials.

(Laughs) Yeah, I was really into that McDonald's break-dancing ad.

Q: I guess that's when you know something's truly reached the mainstream, because McDonald's and Coke get hold of it.

A: Absolutely. Ronald McDonald was rapping. (Chuckles) He was a poseur.

Click on the photo above to view a photoset from the show. All photos by Mic to Mic.

When it was first announced that Beastie Boys would be performing at Terminal 5 in New York City, I checked out reviews of the venue because I wasn't familiar with it. Terminal 5 is a newish concert venue, located in a section of Manhattan filled with car dealerships. It used to be a nightclub. Many reviews about the venue said the same thing: it is horrible place to experience live music. None of the reviews, though, prepared me for how truly horrible it was.

Choosing a spot directly in front of the stage at any show can be a trade-off. You might sacrifice sound for sight. You have to decide in advance what you prefer: being close to the action or hearing the band. (Silly me, I like both.) There shouldn't be a trade-off, but it happens in some venues that aren't designed properly for live music. Such is the case with Terminal 5.

My experience on the front rail at the Beastie Boys show at Terminal 5 was disappointing, only because I know what the Beastie Boys should sound like live (i.e., awesome). It was heartbreaking to stand in front of the stage on Tuesday night, see the Beastie Boys with their mics in hand and smiles on their faces, and not to hear a single song or word from them with any clarity. The sound wasn't just a little bad; it was completely undistinguishable. Their banter was muffled wah-wahs (imagine a trombone muted with a toilet plunger); their rhymes were lost in space. When they picked up their instruments and played, it got even worse. The venue created a strange echo effect that made the band sound as if they were not playing in time. The sound was so bad that sometimes it was difficult to discern what song they were performing.

My friends and I looked at each other in disbelief at how bad the sound was, but then we remembered we know the words and we can hum. We were at the show to see each other as much as we were there to see the band. So we shouted the rhymes aloud and hummed with the instrumentals, making the best of it. The enthusiasm of all the fans singing aloud and the band's energy helped diminish our disappointment with the sound.

I wish I could relay stories about the silly things the Beastie Boys said and did at the show, but I can't do it because I didn't hear what they said. I believe I heard them say the word "Oscilloscope" a few times. Mike talked to the audience quite a bit during the show. I'm sure what he said was silly because he had that goofy, I'm-about-to-crack-up smile on his face as he spoke, but I didn't hear one word of it. Some band silliness took place when a fan passed a drawing of Mike to the band on stage during "Check It Out."

Beastie Boys looked good! They followed the casual Friday dress code even though it was a Tuesday. Mike wore a vintage blue sweater that made him look like a white Sammy Davis Jr. Horovitz went for the sexy businessman look -- a suit without the tie and jacket. Yauch dressed ultra-casual in a red Original Penguin classic polo shirt and slacks. Money Mark dressed similarly to Yauch, in a black Original Penguin polo shirt and slacks. Alfredo Ortiz was perhaps the best dressed, looking like a crazy Blues Brother in his black hat, white dress shirt, thin tie, and sunglasses.

The highlight of the night was the performance of "Rhymin' & Stealin'." It's a song that the Beastie Boys haven't performed for more than a decade until 2007, when they played it at a few select shows on their tour. The audience at Terminal 5 went wild shouting "Ali Baba and the forty thieves!"

Mike forgot his rhymes more than a few times over the course of the show, but it was no big whoop. The big hair and snazzy sweater made fans overlook the flubbed rhymes. Horovitz had some equipment failure that delayed "Remote Control" from starting for 8 minutes, but all he had to do was flash his magic smile at the audience to set things right. Yauch, the constant perfectionist in the band, stopped one song, wheel-up style, to begin it properly when he wasn't happy with the way it sounded. The fresh finger during "Check It Out" was doubly sillified with feet in the air too. (When Yauch puts his foot in the air, you know that they're having a good time.) Weirdest thing of the night was people crowd-surfing to "Triple Trouble." Umm..."Triple Trouble"?!

Contrary to what other reviews of the show say, the venue was not filled with "die-hard Beastie Boys fans." It was filled with people who could afford the pricey ticket. I know when I see my brothers and sisters. Sadly, many of you were not in attendance. The crowd was mellow for a Beastie Boys audience. Crowd-surfing and moshing were minimal and not the angry type.

Was I disappointed with the show? Yes. Terribly disappointed? No. Do I still love the band? Of course. Do I still think they are one of the best live acts you can see anywhere? Absolutely. Do I blame them for the crappy venue (generously donated by The Bowery Presents)? No, of course not. Will I ever see a show at Terminal 5 again? Absolutely no way.*

My friends and I agreed that we cannot be too critical of the show. It was for a very good cause. We all were very happy to see the band again. They were in good spirits and brought the boogie like they always do. It's not their fault the venue sucked balls. Having fun with my friends and seeing the Beastie Boys smile and have fun on stage erased the negative sound issue.

There's no place better than New York City to see the Beastie Boys perform, and there's definitely no band as fun and energetic as the Beastie Boys.


*Unless it's the Beastie Boys 'cause I'm stupid for them

Beastie Boys performing "Intergalactic"

Setlist
MMM Intro [video]
Root Down [video (with The Weave!) // alternate video]
Flute Loop
Sure Shot [video // alternate video // short clip]
Shake Your Rump [video]
Time for Livin'
Remote Control
Ricky's Theme [video]
B for My Name [video]
Egg Raid on Mojo [video (w/ Triple Trouble)]
Triple Trouble [video - pt 1 & pt 2 // short clip]
Pass the Mic [video // alternate video]
Body Movin'
Rhymin' and Stealin' [video // short clip]
Off the Grid
Tough Guy
Lighten Up
Mark on the Bus
Sabrosa [video]
Super Disco Breakin' [short clip]
3 MC's and 1 DJ [short clip]
Ch-Check It Out [video]
So What'cha Want
Intergalactic [video // alternate video - pt 1 & pt 2 // alternate video // short clip]
Heart Attack Man
Sabotage [video // short clip]

And there's an excellent 17-minute video on Youtube (with clips from Sure Shot, Shake Your Rump, Remote Control, B for My Name, Egg Raid on Mojo, Triple Trouble, Pass the Mic, Body Movin’, Super Disco Breakin’, 3 MC’s and 1 DJ, Ch-Check It Out, So What’cha Want, and Heart Attack Man!) Watch it!

Photos





Press

Concert review by Mic to Mic

Concert review at Billboard.com

Very short article by Rolling Stone

Beastie Boys interview by The Tripwire

On winning a Grammy…

"No, we weren't surprised at all that we won it," Horovitz says. "I feel like we're a well-oiled instrumental machine, and we were guaranteed a win. And we paid extra money to win it. (laughs) No, it is weird... Best Pop Instrumental? I definitely wouldn't have thought that 20 years ago. But it's kinda cool. “Instrumental' is a very wide spectrum... Twenty years ago, I was into jazz and dub-reggae, which are instrumental also... We're actually proud of it." (New Times)

On Yauch’s documentary…

Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys decided to bring this one-of-a-kind event to the big screen by directing “Gunnin’ For That #1 Spot,” a documentary that chronicles eight players participating in the Elite 24 and premiered last week in New York.

It could’ve simply been a documentary of the game itself, but the film instead gave a behind-the-scenes look at the best players high school hoops has to offer, which made it that much more compelling. For instance, there were fascinating stories, old pictures and video clips of these potential NBA stars as they rose to superstardom.

The flick also features a hot soundtrack that includes such hip-hop legends stars as Jay-Z, Nas, Lil Wayne, The Game and of course, the Beastie Boys. (Rise Magazine)

Yauch said he aims to release the movie around the time of the NBA draft this summer. (Billboard)

On the new album…

"We're gonna be rapping, ya know, on the mic," Horovitz says feigning the voice of an old man. "We'll be MCing, or however the kids say it these days... “ (New Times)

"It's all new, original," says MCA, aka Adam Yauch, "but I don't think it's gonna come out this year, no." (Billboard)

The next Beastie Boys album will probably be out sometime next year, as according to them, they are either "a fifth, or a third" of the way through. (The Tripwire)

On the Mix-Up vocal album…

Jarvis Cocker and Snoop Dogg have both turned in spoken words for the album, and M.I.A. has created a song as well. (The Tripwire)

On hip-hop, the band, and the sitar...

“Honestly, people always freak out about hip-hop. I don't understand — why do people think this is still an issue? It's clearly the biggest music in the world. It's as if they're still asking the question 'Is hip-hop gonna last?'... What does that even mean? Do people still ask is rock 'n' roll gonna last? It's silly. Record sales in general are down. People don't buy records anymore. That's the way it is. It's not just rap."

Horovitz says he can't even conceive of the group parting ways. "What for?" Horovitz says with a laugh. "We're friends first, and we're gonna be friends if this thing ever ends. We just made a pact a long time ago that it was more important for us to be friends and enjoy what we're doing than any of the other stuff. That's the main priority. And it's like, why make it a bad thing? We're all friends, we're making money, this is paying our bills... what's the problem? We split everythingevenly... It's just weird when you see all these good bands break up."

It's clear that these guys know their way around their respective instruments, but sitar? "It wasn't actually a sitar; it's a guitar sitar — like an electric guitar with a few extra strings that make it sound like a sitar," says Horovitz, starting to laugh as if he's just gotten away with something. "I bought it on eBay for 100 bucks!" (New Times)

On Langerado…

When the Beastie Boys hit the stage on Friday night for their first-ever concert in the Everglades, rapper-drummer Mike D wants to arrive like a Floridian. "I'm thinking airboat," he said.

"In a festival-type environment we're not going to do 'jazz odyssey'; it would be a fool's errand," he said, adding that the band would likely concentrate on "material people know a little better." [Mike D] (Sun-Sentinel)

Horovitz says the band is stoked to get out of the frigid New York air for a bit. "Dude, it's 20 degrees up here," he says. "We're gonna get paid to be warm for a couple of days and play music... There wasn't really a second thought about it."

"We're really looking forward to Langerado," Horovitz says. "We don't know much about it yet, but I'm sure by this time next week, we'll be down there with everybody having a whole lot of fun." (New Times)

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Originally uploaded by Mic to Mic

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Photos by Mic to Mic/Beastiemania.com

Review and more photos to follow.

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Originally uploaded by Mic to Mic

Chicago 10 is a documentary about the events surrounding the controversial 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago. The movie premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, and it was released in select theaters on Friday, February 29. The soundtrack was released on February 19.

1. Nothing From Nothing ~ Billy Preston
2. Sabotage ~ Beastie Boys [watch the clip from Chicago 10]
3. Fighting Side Of Me, The ~ Merle Haggard
4. Moonlight Becomes You ~ Harry James Orchestra
5. Kick Out The Jams ~ Rage Against The Machine
6. Down The Street ~ Rage Against The Machine
7. Wake Up ~ Rage Against The Machine
8. Monster Suicide America ~ Steppenwolf
9. TB Sheets ~ Van Morrison
10. Mosh ~ Eminem
11. War Pigs ~ Black Sabbath
12. Righteous Dub ~ Long Beach Dub All Stars/Barrington Levy
13. Waterfall Dub ~ Gregory Isaacs
14. Four Seasons, The (Spring) ~ Vivaldi

(Thanks, Allan!)