Beastie Boys Entertainment Art Charter One at Northerly Island Chicago, Ill. September 27, 2007

Playing against the backdrop of Lake Michigan the night grew cold as an eclectic, all ages audience packed the Charter One Pavilion Thursday night. After an extended and disappointing opening act the B-Boys got things moving. Good thing they did. Talk in the crowd was going restless going so far as to chant “Beastie Boys!” repeatedly during the opening act’s set.

All was quickly forgiven the moment Mix Master Mike took his place at the turntables. In the years since he began playing with the Beastie Boys Master Mike has grown into one of the most visionary DJs in the world. This was never more apparent than when they played the classic “Three MC’s and One DJ” about halfway through the night. Master Mike has turned his mixing tables into an extension of himself somehow able to show a wide range of emotions through his fast paced scratching.

The same can be said for all of the Beastie Boys. Who would have thought that a bunch of white rappers who were big in the late 80’s have had such long staying power. This much to due with the fact that the band itself is a fully functionally musical chameleon, whatever the style, they can tear it up.

Tonight the B-Boys floated between playing their well-known hip-hop standards, old school punk and a lot of their new instrumental material. The range the Boys have is incredible, anyone who thinks Beastie Boys is just immature hip-hop is dead wrong.

Dressed in tight fitting brown dress suits with thin black ties and fedora’s the Boys (except Mike D who graced the stage in all out yachting clothes, including a captains hat in honor of the Chicago Yacht Club not too far away) played some genre bending instrumentals that can only be described truly strange and trippy.

One of the strangely unique aspects of Thursday nights show came not only from the band from the crowd itself. Of those near the front of the stage many had already seen the Boys play their instrumental at the Rivera Theatre the night before. This created the atmosphere of a really tight knit community.

Throughout the night the B-Boys would stop what they were doing and have little conversations with audience members. This was made easier by the sheer range of the crowd. One guy was dressed as a white Mr. T, “Are you Mr. T full time?” guitarist Adam “Ad Rock” Horovitz asked jokingly.

The band has a devotion to its fans, not just as a group but individually. As the night went on, they made sure to play “High Plains Drifter” a special request of two fans close to the stage. Shining the spotlight on the girls the Boys gave their thanks to the fans appreciation to their music. It gave more proof of just how different the Beastie Boys are from every other band.

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