August 10, 2007
Beastie Boys Bomb Brooklyn
Before the Beastie Boys’ concert at McCarren Park Pool last night, Gothamist attended a press conference with the 3 MC’s and verified an interesting bit of trivia: Despite having formed in Brooklyn, rehearsed often at Adam Yauch’s parent’s crib downtown, and associated themselves with the borough constantly over the decades, the band itself had not yet performed in Kings County. Mike D broke it down like so, “When we came up none of the clubs were really in Brooklyn except for L'Amour. My theory is that they didn’t really want to have hip-hop functions in Brooklyn because they figured it would just end badly. Soon there will be an arena there but there was never an arena-type venue there.” The Beastie Boys’ mainstream popularity – by '85 they were supporting Madonna on tour, by ’86 Licensed to Ill had moved five million units – outpaced the borough they helped popularize; not until the late nineties had Brooklyn gentrified to the point where there was even a venue big enough to accommodate them.
So last night’s sold-out show was both a triumphant homecoming and fresh debut for the trio, backed up by percussionist Alfredo Ortiz and Money Mark on keyboards (on some songs) and the wizardly Mix Master Mike on turntables. (During the press conference, Mike D pointed out that because of Mike’s highly improvised beat dropping, most of their songs turn out to be “nightly remixes”.) The phenomenal two hour set deftly connected the dots between the band’s unique dual history as both old school hip-hop connoisseurs and hardcore punk veterans, recalling their significant role in both worlds during New York’s early 80s music scene. And as if the enthralled crowd needed any further reminder, at one point Adam Yauch stopped mid-song to ask Joe “DJ Run” Simmons – their former Raising Hell Tour pal, among other things – to come out and take a bow.
It’s hard to cite the most memorable highlights from such a uniformly exhilerating show. Hardcore classics Egg Raid on Mojo, Heart Attack Man and Time For Living were unleashed with astonishing velocity, Shake Your Rump and Gratitude were hot as pig iron, the Paul Revere sing-a-long killed as usual, the funky instrumental numbers off The Mix-Up and The In Sound From Way Out were juicy and too-tight-to-be-true, and the closing volleys of Sabatoge and No Sleep Till Brooklyn had the packed pool flooded with high-octane exuberance. We’ve been known to declare “Best Concert Ever” at the end of quite a few shows, but last night in Brooklyn was definitely off the charts.
The Beastie Boys conclude their three-night run tonight with an instrumental “gala event” at Hammerstein Ballroom. (Now sold out!) Our interview with Adam Horovitz is here.
|
great review. it was an awesome night. the calder-esque lights were fantastic. i'm still giddy.
i just loves how the crowd shot is overwhelming, if not entirely white. some tribute to brooklyn and new york hip hop!
insert bronx cheer here
Yeah, I was immediately wowed by the Calder-esque mobile as soon as we walked in. Then they lit the bugger up come show time and... triple wow. Truly inspired set design. The whole night was just outrageous. Unforgettable.
the crowd was predominantly white, but much more mixed than that particular picture suggests.
triple trouble
These 50yo guys are still rapping and running around the stage like it's 1985? More power to 'em! LOL
#2: what did you expect at a beastie boys show?
#2 - You see racial distinctions, I saw a big crowd of people all digging one incredible groove. The demographics of who's listening is irrelevant, what matters is how the music SOUNDS. Simply put, you had to be there.
in the end all these white "rap groups" revert back to their white "rock roots" to not alienate their audience.
what can you say, they're great businessmen.
then all the aging hipsters go back to their white bread world.
rock roots? they learned how to play instruments 10 years after they formed. all of your misinformed "white" analyses are moronic. the scary part wasn't the 50 year old white boys ripping up the stage, it was the 50 year old white boys ripping up the mosh pit and the pissed off 20 year old white girls trying to fight back. just like the 80s. oh, and run is from HOLLIS. represent.
really? then why the so called Rock influences?
why the guitar riffs?
why do I even argue? white boys love Rock,
simple, mon ami.
why alienate their audience?
I don't know if I'd say they had a "significant" role in 80s Hardcore. I LOVE their hardcore stuff but I think back then they were regarded as not much more than a Minor Threat ripoff.
rarelement:
They all played in punk groups before coming together as the Beastie Boys you see today... though Mike D was a singer, MCA played bass and Ad-Rock played guitar... before, not "10 years after" they formed.
You don't know shit, "rarelement". They started out as hardcore punk rock band; this is common knowldge. Here's a good place to start: http://www.beastiemania.com/timeline/.
"A lot of people get jealous, they're talking about me, but that's just cuz they haven't got a thing to say."
ugh. haters. SO BORING.
quite simply, the show killed. the crowd was high energy and the band could not have played better. and i got to hear No Sleep Till Brooklyn in brooklyn. ahhh
I've seen the Beasties quite a few times over the years, and they always just kill it and put on a really, really FUN show, the kind where you skip out and have a smile on your face for a few hours. Last night was exceptionally good, even for the Beasties.
#9: The Beastie Boys aren't a 'white' rap group, they're just a rap group, period. They may be lacking melatonin, but they are not lacking in funk a much more essential ingredient. They are one of the few old school hip hop groups that have managed to survive, thrive and still make killer music 20 years on.
Post deleted.
It is so depressing that a simple concert review can inspire these kinds of racial/ethnic slurs. What about the music?
The Beastie Boys suck, They have like three good songs. They are more annoying than beastie.
oh and rap sucks.
I just mention that most of these white "rap artists" eventually revert back to their "white" rock sound.
or, include some "white rock" sound into their songs. be in Kid Rock, eminem or whatever.
And, the crowd was mostly white. You have to include Free Bird into your act or you're going to alienate your audience.
If you wanted to see a spectacular stage show last night, then you should have been on Coney Island for Daft Punk. Wow!
Um #17, don't you mean melanin?
If the Beasties had melatonin, they would have been sleeping onstage and the show would've sucked.
"They're smart businessmen, but then that's a given. they're Jews, they know where the money is."
uh yeah that's why they just released an ALL-INSTRUMENTAL album.
"There's no money in Punk."
yeah I just saw Green Day on the unemployment line.
"all white "rap" groups revert back to the white rock sound."
There are "white rap groups" other than beastie boys? Eminem made a rock record? I must have been sleeping.
"they don't want to alienate their audience."
funny i was at the show last night and the crowd was going nuts for the hip hop stuff and hitting the beer lines during the rock stuff.
but then again... "facts can change but my opinion never will"--stephen colbert
Great performance, great crowd. But the show sucked for me.
Brooklyn Brewery should be ashamed of themselves. I was not the only person who spent the *entire show* standing in a beer line after being sold drink tickets. Had I known that I'd spend 90 minutes in the same line, I wouldn't have bought drink tickets in the first place, and I would have rocked out somewhere other than a beer line.
Atrocious.
saw them Wed night at CP Summerstage. sounds like last night's show was better. :(
#2, Who cares what the racial makeup of the crowd was?
Was someone not allowing black people to enter? No? Then what exactly are you complaing about?
Are you mad because more black people don't like them? In what way does that offend you?
Do you think they shouldn't be allowed to make hip hop music because they're white?
You're either playing some pathetic race victim game, or you're just racist. Either way, it's pathetic.
white boy rock = Guitars.
all white "rap" acts include some of this to not alienate their audience.
they know how to be businessmen, as punk was dying they changed their sound to where the money was.
why would anyone be mad if black people are not their audience? you're pathetic hiding behind your klan robe thoughts.
Was this a free show or a pay/ticketed event? IF there we're tickets, how much were they? Only asking because there seems to be alot of people there and I was wondering what McCarren's capacity was....
I don't know if it is the same people, but in just about every article I have read today, the commentary full of racial hate.
This is NYC, the melting pot/diversity capital of the U.S., maybe the world, and people have to say this about the Beastie Boys?!?
Come on, it's the Beastie Boys, maybe you weren't around when they were real big, but I remember going to a show in Detroit when I was in high school and I remember it was a really great show and I could not tell you what the demographics were, I just remember the friends I was with and really enjoying myself.
I don't know the ages of the people making these racial comments, but I am in my mid 20s and if those saying this crap are in my same age bracket, then that is very sad. I would like to think everyone from my generation would have learned from history that race, ethnicity, sex, etc.,--well one is not better than another...it just really disturbs me reading those comments.
okay [21][18][12] we get it. the same thing has been posted over and over again.
new topic:
for those who went last night, what was your favorite song?
I loved the no sleep till brooklyn
man. i'm really bummed i didn't go to this. great review though, john.
"hello brooklyn" as the opening song was the highlight for me
and for whoever was asking: it was a paid show and was sold out. legal capacity for mccarren is just over 6000.
#25
A-freaking-men. Spent over an hour on the line, missed half the damned show. By the end of the last line one of the tents ran out of beer. It was a damned free for all, people cutting all over the place, pushing up to the front.
Next time I'll just bring a flask.
#31 - Hard to say. The only other time I've seen them was at the ill-fated Field Day relocation to Giants Stadium. That show left a lot to be desired, particularly their instruments. So for me, finally hearing Sabatoge live and, unexpectedly, Heart Attack Man and Time for Livin' was a major thrill. Of course, Hello Brooklyn lit the fuse for everything else. Damn.
Ooh, are we going to have a "Best Concert Ever" fight? Because a lot of people are saying the same thing about the Daft Punk show.
What's up, yo?
The show last night rawked.
Just proves that old school beats are the best.
The Boys were in good form (Ad Rock's nasal scream still sounds great), Mike D. is still a dork, and MCAs smokey voice still sounds as good
as when I saw them back in the day (at that time they had girls in go-go cages, 8ft high inflatable penises on the stage, rather than suits). Mix Master Mike was masterful.
My stand out songs:
Shake Your Rump-a
No Sleep Till Brooklyn
Open Letter to NYC
Whatcha Want
I wished they would still do Cookie Puss--on an EP that came out before Licensed.
**Personal trivia. At Stuy High (old one on 15th St--shout out!), I used to sit next to the bass player for The Young and the Useless (the punk band that kind of became the Beastie Boys).
rarelement:
i bet you were born in 1988.
Sucka~1
The Beastie Boys themselves were great but whomever was in charge of the venue/logistics sucked. It was a huge clusterf*ck. The overcast skies & forecast indicated rain (and the tickets stated "Rain or Shine") so a lot of people brought umbrellas only to be forced to leave them in a pile at the entrance. WTH?
The venue theme seemed to be "wait in line." First, stand in line to turn in your umbrella. Once inside, get in line to pay for a ticket to get a beer. Next take your ticket to a different, longer line to get your beer. Thankfully I wasn't really drinking (e.g. 1 beer), but the people I was with easily spent at least the last 45 minutes of the show in line for their 2nd beer. The show was over and they were still in line!! (They had 'pre-paid' for the beer so why not get it? Their money should have been refunded or signs stating what time beer sales would end.)
I would not recommend going to McCarron Park Pool for a concert.
they got your money is all that matters to them. rain or shine, they got your money.
Pre-paid beer tickets, they got your money.
She's On It!! 12" single.....One of my fav's!! Beasties Rock and they always will in my book!!
as many have already noted, the crowd was predominantly bipedal. i looked in vain for quadrupedal members, but apparently they were shut out at the gate along with the umbrellas. a sad day for hip-hop and humanity.
i just dont understand how so many people are complaining about the beer line. im assuming the set up at this show was similar to the pool parties..ie the beer line and the beer ticket lines were in view of eachother. when you're walking past a massive line to buy tickets for beer...can't you put 2 and 2 together and realize that you're buying a ticket to stand in that huge line?
some people, man!
I hope whoever has my umbrella likes it as much as I did...
great show.
the beastie boys music was the soundtrack of my youth (and probably for many who grew up in nyc or even the tri-state area). nyc represent!
true brooklyn icons.
some good footage on youtube.com
http://youtube.com/results?search_query=beastie+boys+mccarren&search=Search
amazing to see how many people come the comment section to start an argument? Why waste your time
Good to hear those who went liked the show
Great review Gothamist