Vanya Edwards
The Beastie Boys rock NYC to benefit the Institute for Music and Neurological Function
March 4, 2008, at Terminal 5
By Lisa Murphy
Published: March 6th, 2008 | 3:35pm
There’s not much I wouldn’t do to see the Beastie Boys live and it seems like I’m not alone. The $75-a-ticket, sold-out show at NYC’s Terminal 5 was a benefit for the Bronx-based Institute for Music and Neurologic Function (INMF), and was organized/hosted by longtime INMF supporter Moby. Following last summer’s tour to promote 2007’s instrumental release The Mix-Up (Capitol), the band seemed energized and sounded as fresh as ever, making it hard to believe they’ve been making records and touring for almost 25 years.
The show began with an opening DJ set by D-Nice, who Moby asked to spin just the night before, and he even canceled a prior engagement to be there. During the opening set, D-Nice mixed some sweet beats, including De La Soul's “A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturday” and Starship’s “We Built This City.” Moby played host and talked to the crowd about INMF’s mission before accompanying one of the Institute’s clients on acoustic guitar while he sang “I Can See Clearly Now.”
At last, the long-awaited moment when the Beastie Boys exploded onstage with Mix Master Mike, who has been working with the band since 1998’s Hello Nasty, and played a two-hour set filled with chaotic energy — gnarly, crazy, stupid energy. It was hard to follow Mike D. onstage because he kept running around and jumping so much and every single soul in there seemed to be feeling that same exuberant energy — there weren’t too many people who weren’t on their feet. They looked great; dapper might be the best word to describe MCA’s cream colored fedora-style hat with a sleek black band, and Ad-Rock’s bright red shirt gave him a boyish appearance despite his shortly cropped salt-and-pepper hair. They went back and forth between instrumentals from The Mix-Up to “Intergalactic” and “Body Movin'” from Hello Nasty, and even threw in tracks from Paul’s Boutique (“Egg Raid” and “Shake Your Rump”) and Ill Communication (“Rhyming’ + Stealin’”). The crowd on the ground level was so dense and excited it was impossible to get near the stage.
The encore was a brightly lit, explosive version of “Sabotage” that very nearly shook Terminal 5 to its foundations — it was great seeing them in what was definitely one of their more intimate shows. And good news for all those disappointed in T5: The venue has since added a number of plasma screens to help with the limited-sight lines and is rumored to be upgrading their sound system. More uh, power, to them!
The idea behind INMF’s mission is that “music has unique powers to heal, rehabilitate, and inspire.” Music as therapy is the main practice of the INMF and is used “to restore and improve physical, emotional, and neurological health.” This was definitely one of the most powerful live shows I’ve been to in a long time — whether they were performing their older, two-minute punk songs, the hip-hop influenced tracks, or the more elaborate new instrumentals, the Beastie Boys were on point and connecting with the crowd in an exciting and inspiring way, bringing to life all of the thoughts and ideas behind the INMF’s mission.
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punkerplus (3 months)
I don't understand how someone who claims that they'd do anything to see the Beastie Boys live doesn't know much about the band. You have your Adams confused. Adam Yauch (aka MCA) wore the red polo shirt. Adam Horovitz (aka Adrock) wore the hat. You also don't have your songs and albums right. "Egg Raid on Mojo" appears on Some Old Bullshit. "Rhymin' & Stealin'" is from Licensed to Ill.
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