On the Scene: Beastie Boys at The Greek Theatre

A gentle Los Angeles breeze blew over the crowd as we filed in to The Greek Theatre to support the Beastie Boys, currently on tour for their new CD The Mix Up. And support them we did! The minute Adrock, Mike D, and MCA took to the stage, performing “The New Style” from 1986’s Licensed to Ill, the smell of skunk weed permeated the grounds and people began screaming, bouncing, and throwing their hands in the air (uh-huh, like they just didn’t care)! At one point, I even found my usually reserved self pointing my index finger straight up into the sky and shouting a long, exaggerated “FRESHHHHHHHHH!” when instructed to do so by the stylish Mike D (pictured, right). Outside of sporting events, I’ve rarely seen this much excitement and activity from my peers.

The show was all high jinks and high energy as the boys treated us to many a hit (so many, that some had to be tossed into an occasional medley) and introduced us to a few new numbers, such as “Suco de Tangerina.” And all of the old magic is there: Adrock (pictured, left) is still the charmer; ad-libbing at the end of “I grabbed two girlies and a beer that’s cold!…and it was LOVELY!!” (from "Paul Revere") and remembering to give L.A.’s Atwater Village (home of their old recording studio) a proper shout-out. Mike D is still all charisma and energy, whether fronting the punk-rock “Heart Attack Man” or taking over the drums for “Gratitude.” And MCA is still liquid and laid-back, leaving most of the antics to his cohorts and chomping on gum throughout the night.  It was also a treat to see Money Mark on keyboards and Mix Master Mike behind the turntables.

With so much material under their belts, the Beasties have made this current tour a combination of their usual sets (a variety of rap, instrumental and punk) and exclusive instrumental dates (like tonight's show at L.A.’s The Wiltern). For a good time, ch-check them out.