Last night, a dream of mine came true… I finally got to see the Beastie Boys live! So… this blog is gonna be a long one.

Tasi and I made the hour-and-a-half commute via bus and BART from San Jose to UC Berkeley, where the BBoys were playing. After enjoying burritos at a nearby taqueria, Tasi and I made the 20-minute uphill walk to the university’s Greek Theatre. We got there early enough; there were only 20 or so people in front of us in line. For the next two hours, we sat/stood in line as we perused through Tasi’s iPod contents, including the “Ask A Ninja” podcast videos he got from iTunes. A group of girls in front of us had what they called a domino tournament going on.

When the gates finally opened at 6:45 pm (15 minutes late), Tasi and I got great seats: the front of the seated section, on the right side of the amphitheatre (or the left side if you were on the stage). Then there was more waiting until the show started at 8 pm. Opening act Peanut Butter Wolf came on with his 45-minute set, then more waiting as the crew did a final line check. Then the moment finally arrived… Beasties!

For the first couple of songs, I was trembling with excitement. I loved the set list, which contained a lot of their popular hip-hop songs, as well as a few instrumentals and punk stuff. They played quite a few songs that I was a little surprised to see them perform live, like “Live at PJ’s” and “The Maestro” (from their Check Your Head album).

A few memorable moments:

  • A fan throwing a black feather boa onstage. Adam Yauch (MCA) picks it up and puts it on as he performs. He returns the boa afterward, saying he got some of his sweat on it. 
  • During “Ch-Check It Out,” someone in the crowd holds up a sign with a big drawing of a hand with its index finger pointing up. The other side of the sign says, “Watch the Finger.” When they do the song live, Mike D draws out the word “fresh” as he points up. When they get to that part of the song, the Boys make everyone point up and do it with him.
  • The crowd sing-along/participation in “Paul Revere,” “Time to Get Ill” and “No Sleep Till Brooklyn.”
  • The crazy huge disco ball that illuminated the crowd during “The Gala Event.”
  • Mix Master Mike’s funny robot mask during “Intergalactic.”
  • A brief improv performance of “Rapper’s Delight,” with the guys on their instruments, before “Sabotage.”

    • As soon as the Boys finished “Sabotage,” Tasi and I rushed past the exiting crowd to the BART station down the hill. We needed to make it to the BART station in time to catch the San Jose bus in Fremont, and we were cutting it close. Miraculously, we made it, even when Tasi needed to take a quick pee break in the trees, lol. Our legs are still sore from the downhill run.

    Set List (from Mic to Mic fan blog):
    Mix Master Mike Intro
    Time for Livin’
    Gratitude
    Live at PJ’s
    Sabrosa
    Root Down
    Super Disco Breakin’
    Sure Shot
    An Open Letter to NYC
    Shake Your Rump
    Heart Attack Man
    Remote Control
    Electric Worm
    Lighten Up
    Brass Monkey
    Pass the Mic
    Skills to Pay the Bills
    Posse in Effect
    Time to Get Ill
    The Maestro
    The Gala Event
    Tough Guy
    Egg Raid on Mojo
    Alright Hear This
    Ch-Check It Out
    Paul Revere
    Body Movin’
    Three MCs and One DJ
    So What’cha Want
    –Encore–
    Mix Master Mike Interlude
    Intergalactic
    No Sleep Till Brooklyn
    Sabotage