Beastie Boys bigger than Sasquatch
George, WA -- The crowd was swaddled in Easy Street sweatshirts, North Face fleeces and garbage bags on this blustery Sunday Night. Anything to keep warm. Thankfully, the Beastie Boys brought the heat. As soon as the Bboys picked up their instruments and the first licks of "Gratitude" kicked in, everyone was up on their feet. The gorge was rocking. The Beastie Boys may have aged, MCA sports a silvery mop and Mike D looks like Dustin D now more than ever, but tonight they proved they can still rock the mic and the jam.
They peppered this evenings performance with extended instrumental tracks off their new album, The Mix-Up, and kept people on their feet with classics like "Body Movin'". It was amazing to see Mike D man the drums for one song then run out to rock the mic for the next. The energy never waned and the crowd only got wilder as the night went on. Supplementing the on-stage action was Money Mark on the keys who, when not playing, would pop up all over the stage and Alfredo Ortiz on percussion. And just when you forgot about him, Mix Master Mike would change things up with a new sample or a crazy scratch routine.
Halfway through their set, the winds died down and all that was on stage were Adam, Adam and Mike. They tore through a punk song then slowed it down and got funky with some new shit. They played and played and just as my mind was about to wander they crank it back up with the classic bass line from "Root Down". Everybody's on stage now doing what they do best. They seamlessly move into "Pass the Mic" and end with a rowdy version of "What'cha Want". The lights go out and the crowd goes nuts. This shit ain't over. The crowd knows this and begins to chant "Beastie Boys. Beastie Boys. Then we hear the familiar "chk chk chk" of Mike's turntables and a lone spotlight on him.
A few scratches later, we hear the familiar beginnings of "Intergalactic" and it's on. The crowd goes nuts. I look back up the hill and everybody's on their feet. They play three more raucous songs and end the night with "Sabotage". They'd given the crowd two nights of insanity and their work here was done.
Check out The Mix-Up in stores July 26.
Gander On!
