KingPsyz
06-15-2004, 11:16 AM
MTV2 $2 Bill Show
Beastie Boys
June 9th, 2004
By: Justin Rogers
It is true what they say about things aging. Sometimes you get vinegar and sometimes you get the finest of wines. Luckily for about 1,000 people on June 9th, the boys three known as Beasties have become a fine wine over the last 20 plus years of performing. For those fans lucky enough to be in the Las Vegas area on June the 9th, they were able to catch what will surely go down as one of the best $2Bill shows for the MTV2 series to date.
Seeing the Beastie Boys in a venue like the Huntridge Theatre is something very few people will ever get to experience and that is a shame. A classic one screen-size theatre built before the days of 25 screen mega-plexes, the Huntridge has now become the place to play for bands wanting to get closer to the fans or just make their mark. Set in a fairly unassuming part of Las Vegas, the Huntridge is book-ended by of all things, a restaurant supply house and a discount furniture dealer, not usually the signs of an eclectic club like this one.
Once inside, past the dark red walls of the lobby, you can see why bands and fans alike love this venue. The low slung stage just above knee level gives the people a chance to look the musicians dead in the eye during a performance. Be it in the pit or hanging back and enjoying the show, the design of the room allows for awesome sound and plenty of room for people to enjoy themselves
There is something pretty exciting about that time between when the doors open for a concert like this and when the group actually takes the stage, from the random chants for the band to the preparing for the performance like you are about to head into heavy hand to hand combat. This show also had the added extra bonus of being filmed by a professional camera crew for MTV2, which means there were plenty of people checking makeup and making sure their outfits were hip to be aired for their 15 minutes of pseudo fame. When Jim Shear took the stage to do some promo spots and introduce the band in a full tuxedo ala ring announcer, people quickly forgot about any vanity and quickly went completely ape shit.
After announcing the Beastie Boys to the stage, DJ superhero Mix Master Mike took the tables to hype the crowd. Now usually Mike drops a couple hot beats to get people moving and when he is ready will bring out the band, but this night brought back shades of the days when Mike would slay all before him at the DMC competitions and any DJ battle he could get into. He cut records for the crowd like a Benihana Chef on methamphetamines for a good 5-10 minutes and mugged the audience the whole time. The boy knew he was on fire.
The featherweights were introduced like boxing powerhouses and came out swinging right into Sure Shot off of the Ill Communication album. It was instant elation for everyone in attendance. Then after tearing through Sure Shot, boys kicked it “Root Down”, with some old school flavor that is even more apparent on the new release, To the Five Boroughs.
One of the best things about seeing the Beasties Boys live, and even more so since Mix Master Mike joined the group, is how they switch up the beats and timing of the flow on some of the classic tracks. While they have the occasional lyrical slip or flub, the fact that they remain pretty solid while being backed by a competition DJ showing off his full repertoire of skills on the one’s and two’s is pretty amazing. Throwing in beats from stuff like Dirt Off Your Shoulders by Jay-Z to throwing it back to the old school with samples from classics like Peter Piper from RUN DMC, it just makes seeing them live that much more special.
Next came one of the tracks off To the Five Boroughs, Right Right Now Now, and the crowd ate it up. The new material the Beasties have come up with is some of the freshest to date and the long six year “hiatus” (that is apparently back off, again) shows us just how solid the elements of the album are.
The remainder of the show covered tracks from the Ill Communication, Check Your Head, and To the Five Boroughs, all the while continuing their normal antics of posing in between verses and having Mix Master Mike change beats with little to no prior warning. It is easy to see on their faces and hear in their voices how much they still really love performing for the fan base that has grown and evolved with them over these last 20 plus years.
One of the highlights of the evening was the homage that they pay to the city that spawned them, Open Letter to New York City. It is both a heartfelt sentiment and a party starter that could be one of their best songs ever. They actually started it twice, it seemed as though they were stunned that a lot of the audience already knew the chorus so well to the song. Adrock even made mention about how they like it when the audience knows the lyrics to their songs.
It was a great night for Beastie fans in attendance with a two song encore including the tracks Intergalactic, and the latest single of To the Five Boroughs, Ch-Check it Out. On a personal note I had the opportunity to meet Adam, Mike, and Adam after the show in a suite at the Hard Rock Hotel and they are genuinely some of the nicest people on the earth. Taking the time after such an awesome set to meet and greet over 100 of their biggest fans and being gracious to each and everyone is commendable. I would just like to say thank you for continuing to inspire myself and people around the world with your music.
Beastie Boys
June 9th, 2004
By: Justin Rogers
It is true what they say about things aging. Sometimes you get vinegar and sometimes you get the finest of wines. Luckily for about 1,000 people on June 9th, the boys three known as Beasties have become a fine wine over the last 20 plus years of performing. For those fans lucky enough to be in the Las Vegas area on June the 9th, they were able to catch what will surely go down as one of the best $2Bill shows for the MTV2 series to date.
Seeing the Beastie Boys in a venue like the Huntridge Theatre is something very few people will ever get to experience and that is a shame. A classic one screen-size theatre built before the days of 25 screen mega-plexes, the Huntridge has now become the place to play for bands wanting to get closer to the fans or just make their mark. Set in a fairly unassuming part of Las Vegas, the Huntridge is book-ended by of all things, a restaurant supply house and a discount furniture dealer, not usually the signs of an eclectic club like this one.
Once inside, past the dark red walls of the lobby, you can see why bands and fans alike love this venue. The low slung stage just above knee level gives the people a chance to look the musicians dead in the eye during a performance. Be it in the pit or hanging back and enjoying the show, the design of the room allows for awesome sound and plenty of room for people to enjoy themselves
There is something pretty exciting about that time between when the doors open for a concert like this and when the group actually takes the stage, from the random chants for the band to the preparing for the performance like you are about to head into heavy hand to hand combat. This show also had the added extra bonus of being filmed by a professional camera crew for MTV2, which means there were plenty of people checking makeup and making sure their outfits were hip to be aired for their 15 minutes of pseudo fame. When Jim Shear took the stage to do some promo spots and introduce the band in a full tuxedo ala ring announcer, people quickly forgot about any vanity and quickly went completely ape shit.
After announcing the Beastie Boys to the stage, DJ superhero Mix Master Mike took the tables to hype the crowd. Now usually Mike drops a couple hot beats to get people moving and when he is ready will bring out the band, but this night brought back shades of the days when Mike would slay all before him at the DMC competitions and any DJ battle he could get into. He cut records for the crowd like a Benihana Chef on methamphetamines for a good 5-10 minutes and mugged the audience the whole time. The boy knew he was on fire.
The featherweights were introduced like boxing powerhouses and came out swinging right into Sure Shot off of the Ill Communication album. It was instant elation for everyone in attendance. Then after tearing through Sure Shot, boys kicked it “Root Down”, with some old school flavor that is even more apparent on the new release, To the Five Boroughs.
One of the best things about seeing the Beasties Boys live, and even more so since Mix Master Mike joined the group, is how they switch up the beats and timing of the flow on some of the classic tracks. While they have the occasional lyrical slip or flub, the fact that they remain pretty solid while being backed by a competition DJ showing off his full repertoire of skills on the one’s and two’s is pretty amazing. Throwing in beats from stuff like Dirt Off Your Shoulders by Jay-Z to throwing it back to the old school with samples from classics like Peter Piper from RUN DMC, it just makes seeing them live that much more special.
Next came one of the tracks off To the Five Boroughs, Right Right Now Now, and the crowd ate it up. The new material the Beasties have come up with is some of the freshest to date and the long six year “hiatus” (that is apparently back off, again) shows us just how solid the elements of the album are.
The remainder of the show covered tracks from the Ill Communication, Check Your Head, and To the Five Boroughs, all the while continuing their normal antics of posing in between verses and having Mix Master Mike change beats with little to no prior warning. It is easy to see on their faces and hear in their voices how much they still really love performing for the fan base that has grown and evolved with them over these last 20 plus years.
One of the highlights of the evening was the homage that they pay to the city that spawned them, Open Letter to New York City. It is both a heartfelt sentiment and a party starter that could be one of their best songs ever. They actually started it twice, it seemed as though they were stunned that a lot of the audience already knew the chorus so well to the song. Adrock even made mention about how they like it when the audience knows the lyrics to their songs.
It was a great night for Beastie fans in attendance with a two song encore including the tracks Intergalactic, and the latest single of To the Five Boroughs, Ch-Check it Out. On a personal note I had the opportunity to meet Adam, Mike, and Adam after the show in a suite at the Hard Rock Hotel and they are genuinely some of the nicest people on the earth. Taking the time after such an awesome set to meet and greet over 100 of their biggest fans and being gracious to each and everyone is commendable. I would just like to say thank you for continuing to inspire myself and people around the world with your music.