Well, what do we have here? Only one of the best rap shows of all time. in 1998, Beastie Boys embarked on an extensive arena tour in support of their album Hello Nasty. Widely regarded as featuring some of the best live concerts of the 1990s, the tour has gone down in rap history. If you’re kicking yourself for missing out or maybe just want to relive the experience of being there in person (you lucky devil), you’ll be pleased to hear the group’s iconic 1999 Glasgow performance has been uploaded to Youtube.
Composed of Adam Yauch (aka MCA), Michael Diamond (aka Mike D) and Adam Horowitz (aka ADROCK), Beastie Boys rose from the ashes of hardcore punk band the Young Aborigines, which dissolved in 1978. The trio’s blend of danceable rhythms and infectious lyrics won them an enormous following comprised not only of hardcore punk addicts but hedonistic frat boys as well.
This universal appeal saw Beastie Boys pack out stadiums across Europe and North America time after time. In Glasgow, thousands of fans flocked to the Clydeside venue to see the trio’s bombastic live show with their own eyes, which was broadcast all over the world via MTV. Remembering that iconic performance Mix Master Mike told The Sunday Post: “To this day I get fans sending me clips of that. They tag me on videos from that show. They tell me that it changed their lives, and it changed my life too,” he began. “I remember the moments before I hit that stage in my dressing room, knowing that the whole world would be watching. It’s high up there as one of the most defining moments for me, that Glasgow show.”
The show really is something to behold. Everything is utterly effortless: from Mix Master Mike’s scratching to the verbal parries that weave a thread through each and every track, sowing ‘Super Disco Breakin’ to ‘Fruit Loop’, which gives way to’ Root Down’ and then ‘Shake Your Rump’. By the time Beastie Boys conclude the set with ‘Intergalactic’ and Sabotage’, the audience is completely exhausted – drenched in sweat and smiling from ear to ear. if you haven’t already, make sure you check out the full performance above.
Beastie Boys Glasgow 1999:
Mix Master Mike Intro
2:34 Super Disco Breakin
4:07 Flute Loop
5:38 Root Down
8:53 Shake Your Rump
11:42 Time For Livin
13:40 Sure Shot
17:24 Mix Master Mike Tricks
18:40 Three Mc’s and One DJ
21:37 Something’s Gotta Give
25:10 Heart Attack Man
27:37 Remote Control
30:26 Body Movin (half of)
32:30 Time to Get Ill
34:23 So What’cha Want
38:38 Intergalactic
43:08 Sabotage