It was always difficult to ignore the Beasties. Amid the occasional misogynist rhymes and machismo (both of which they would dismiss as their discography deepens), frat-parodies and scorn of traditionalists (who accused them cultural robbery) were an immensely talented group of lyricists. Nevermind that the Beastie Boys were from the upper middle-class, Jewish and originally a punk-rock outfit - these boys could flow.
So when the Beastie Boys showed up on "The Late Show with David Letterman" this summer to promote "To the Five Boroughs," their unique introduction was an extended camera shot showing the Ad-Rock, MCA and Mike D performing while walking from a nearby subway stop and eventually making their way to Ed Sullivan stage.
On Friday, in Fairfax's Patriot Center, Mix Master Mike made a similar entrance. The big screen showed an unsuspecting hot dog vender in the concession stand, only to take off his work-uniform and reveal himself as the DJ for the evening. He made his way to the stage, and quickly mixed, sampled and scratched his introduction - a sample of sue-happy Michael Buffer's trademark call, "Lets get ready to rumble." And out came the main event.
Despite the screams, cries and fervent praise, the Boys waste no time. They opened with "Triple Trouble" off of "Boroughs" and proclaimed, "If you wanna know the deal about the three ... we're triple trouble y'all. We're gonna bring you up to speed." They brought the crowd up to speed quickly, with a set littered with the old ("Paul Revere," "Brass Monkey") and the new ("Time to Build," "Right Right Now Now," "Open Letter to NYC").
But in the middle of the set, the Beastie Boys surprised everyone,the same way they surprised the critics in 1992. They picked up instruments.
Instantly, the group was transformed from smart-assed emcees who finish each other's sentences into a five-piece jazz ensemble. These instrumentals wowed all in attendance, but it wasn't until the encore's perfect merge of the instruments and lyrics that Fairfax erupted: Listen all y'all it's a sabotage.
The show was over by 11 p.m. with Mike D inviting the crowd to attend the after - party at the Fairfax Inn. There were a few glaring omissions - like "Girls," "Fight for Your Right" and "No Sleep 'til Brooklyn" - but no one seemed to notice. And no one can fault the group for ignoring those songs (each 18 years old) that reek of youth, exuberance and mischief. The Beastie Boys are all grown up, and now they're activists.
