Parkey
12-07-2004, 08:39 AM
Beastie Boys
SECC, Glasgow
James Smart
Monday December 6, 2004
The Guardian
One day, perhaps, the Beastie Boys will act their age. Tonight the rap trio, all pushing 40, sport wonky baseball caps and customised Adidas tracksuits, which they remove to reveal T-shirts championing their favourite board games. Standing on a huge stage in front of a roaring, mostly male crowd, they look like overgrown street urchins fronting a frat party.
Longtime cohort Mix Master Mike mans the decks with predictable dexterity, coaxing scratches, squeals and some enormously heavy beats as he spins his way through the Beasties' back catalogue. Much of new record To the 5 Boroughs is given an airing, and its old-school samples and "New York!" shout-outs go down well. Later, the band dress as a festive lounge act for a live interlude, and appear in the crowd for a storming Intergalactic.
These departures from the standard hip-hop format help keep things interesting. It's a shame, then, that the band seem too withdrawn to truly enjoy themselves. MCA slouches around the stage looking vaguely uninterested, as if waiting for the crowd to impress him rather than the other way round. That's not a great attitude for an arena gig, where false gestures are far better than no gestures at all. It bleeds into the group's stagecraft, where, despite some nice interplay and fake karate moves, the trio often look content to meander in and out of each other's personal space, muttering in-jokes.
During breaks while they get their breath back, the big screens show footage from just before the gig, in which an assortment of tipsy or pre-pubescent fans say how much they're looking forward to hearing Fight for Your Right. The band encore with a punchy Sabotage instead, but seem unable to escape the fact that while they favour jazzy samples and good causes, many of their fans still want rampant gooning and rap metal. The problem may not be that the Beasties haven't grown up, but that their fans won't let them.
At Manchester Arena (0870 190 8000) on Monday and Wembley Arena (0870 264 0264) on Tuesday.
Link (http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/reviews/story/0,,1367298,00.html)
SECC, Glasgow
James Smart
Monday December 6, 2004
The Guardian
One day, perhaps, the Beastie Boys will act their age. Tonight the rap trio, all pushing 40, sport wonky baseball caps and customised Adidas tracksuits, which they remove to reveal T-shirts championing their favourite board games. Standing on a huge stage in front of a roaring, mostly male crowd, they look like overgrown street urchins fronting a frat party.
Longtime cohort Mix Master Mike mans the decks with predictable dexterity, coaxing scratches, squeals and some enormously heavy beats as he spins his way through the Beasties' back catalogue. Much of new record To the 5 Boroughs is given an airing, and its old-school samples and "New York!" shout-outs go down well. Later, the band dress as a festive lounge act for a live interlude, and appear in the crowd for a storming Intergalactic.
These departures from the standard hip-hop format help keep things interesting. It's a shame, then, that the band seem too withdrawn to truly enjoy themselves. MCA slouches around the stage looking vaguely uninterested, as if waiting for the crowd to impress him rather than the other way round. That's not a great attitude for an arena gig, where false gestures are far better than no gestures at all. It bleeds into the group's stagecraft, where, despite some nice interplay and fake karate moves, the trio often look content to meander in and out of each other's personal space, muttering in-jokes.
During breaks while they get their breath back, the big screens show footage from just before the gig, in which an assortment of tipsy or pre-pubescent fans say how much they're looking forward to hearing Fight for Your Right. The band encore with a punchy Sabotage instead, but seem unable to escape the fact that while they favour jazzy samples and good causes, many of their fans still want rampant gooning and rap metal. The problem may not be that the Beasties haven't grown up, but that their fans won't let them.
At Manchester Arena (0870 190 8000) on Monday and Wembley Arena (0870 264 0264) on Tuesday.
Link (http://www.guardian.co.uk/arts/reviews/story/0,,1367298,00.html)