Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

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Beastie Boys shake rumps despite troubling times

Much like their politically charged To the 5 Boroughs, the Beastie Boys’ Wednesday night concert was all about having fun in troubled times. Taking just a little time to express their concerns of four more years of the Bush administration, the Beasties made sure everyone knew that the night was going to be about nothing more than having a good time.

DJ Mix Master Mike gave the Beasties a roaring introduction, mixing Busta Rhymes with Jimi Hendrix and ring announcer Michael Buffer, the immensely talented turntablist had the crowd bumping as Adam Yauch, Mike Diamond and Adam Horovitz took the stage in matching Adidas tracksuits. In front of the tall DJ platform and three video screens, the bare stage gave the Beasties ample room to bob, weave and stumble across the stage.

After opening with the rarely performed “Alright Here This” from 1994’s Ill Communication, the Beasties jumped into crowd pleasers “Root Down” and “Sure Shot.” The trio skipped around the stage exchanging rhymes while bouncing with an exuberant energy that certainly contradicted their 40-year old bodies. Yauch, now with a full head of gray hair, brought the crowd to a standstill in the first break, letting everyone know his feelings about the results of Tuesday’s election.

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“In John Kerry’s concession speech today, he said we should all come together and support President Bush,” he said. “I just want to say fuck that.”

Yauch’s address was met with roaring applause from a half-empty Alliant Energy Center Coliseum. Despite a few musings on Bush and the rightwing, the Beasties’ stage banter gravitated toward silliness and classic old-school call-and-response for much of the show. Horovitz reiterated several times throughout the night that it was to be all about having fun, and with smiles on their faces, the Boys got the crowd moving.

After the end of their first set, highlighted by Check Your Head B-side “Skills to Pay the Bills,” the Beasties reappeared on stage on a lantern-lit platform in matching powder blue tuxedos, for an extended instrumental set. Yauch’s heavy bass and Horovitz’ talk-box reverberations calmly chilled the crowd. Joined by longtime keyboardist Money Mark and percussionist Alfredo, the set was an odd, but welcome juxtaposition to the energetic hip-hop

Mix Master and the Boys returned after the interlude, sans the formal wear, for “An Open Letter to NYC.” With lyrics hailing the resiliency and diversity of the Beasties’ hometown after 9/11, the progressive posturing and call for common sense certainly gave some legitimacy to the night’s political assertions.

The Beasties’ rapping was on point for much of the evening, despite a few flubbed lyrics, but such is expected with the band. It’s always been less about accuracy and more about energy with the trio — something that has kept the group a must-see act for almost two decades. Harking back to their beginnings, The Boys treated the crowd with “Paul Revere” and “Brass Monkey” — two cuts from 1986’s Licensed to Ill. Allowing the audience to take most of the lyrics to these songs, it was as if the trio got a bigger kick out of the reaction more than the performance.

Mix Master kept everyone guessing, working up a sweat juggling beats and obscure samples throughout the set. He dropped selections from the Neptunes, Dr. Dre and Timbaland underneath the rhyming and succeeded in twisting 1992’s “So What’cha Want” into an amazingly eclectic hip-hop sampler and the highlight of the show.

After taking the audience through crowd favorite “Intergalactic,” the Beasties returned to the stage and their instruments for a one-two punch of “Gratitude” and “Sabotage.” Despite an almost cliché dedication of the Beasties’ ode to dissonance to President Bush, the trio made the most of the evening and few left without having a good time.

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