Boy oh boy--where to start. First of all, I should begin by saying that
maybe I'm not the best man to write this piece. Why? Well, for starters, I
wouldn't call myself an avid Beastie Boys listener. I like them quite a bit,
but I don't follow them religiously which is the case with many of their
fans.

Still, I jumped at the chance to see these guys in an intimate venue (I've
seen them a couple of other times on a much larger scale), and for only $2 I
might add.

Unfortunately, the great Kyle England couldn't make it because he was on
another assignment, so fellow music reviewer Ryan Slack and I decided to go
on this little adventure along with his niece Danielle.

Now having co-created this site with the masterful Boneman, I am, once in
awhile, afforded special privileges. Namely press credentials for various
events (Sundance, CineVegas, ShoWest etc.). Even though Zboneman.com has
steadily grown in terms of readership, we are hardly a notable site in the
eyes of MTV (hopefully, that will change someday), therefore, the three of
us attempted to get tickets to this event the old fashioned way; WE CAMPED
OUT! Not that I mind all that much. In fact, waiting for hours in lines to
obtain tickets to high profile entertainment events (be it movie premieres
or concerts) can be loads of fun. I've done it for years (camping out for
everything from R.E.M. and U2 tickets, to Indiana Jones and Star Wars
premieres), and most are fond memories. In fact, there are plenty of
times when I've skipped press options all together so that I can experience
a given event as a fan rather than an entertainment writer. After all, it is
my love and passion towards the arts ultimately evolved into this site
venture. I too am a fan in every sense of the word.

We knew that getting into this show would be no easy task. The concert would
take place at the Huntridge (an old school venue beloved by Las Vegas
residents) at 7:00 P.M. on June 9th 2004. MTV had issued an announcement
stating there would be a limited number of tickets available to fans (most
tickets went to various radio station giveaways nationwide). They would not
allow line-ups prior to 7:00 A.M. (actually, they said they would discourage
line-ups before 7:00 A.M.), and would distribute wristbands at 9:00 A.M.
There were conflicting reports as to how many wristbands would be given out.
Initially, I had heard it would be in the neighborhood of 400. It would be a
limit of 2 tickets per person. Ultimately, they only gave out around 185
wristbands.

Ryan, Danielle, and I decided to hit the venue around 1:30 A.M. (being that I
had done the camp out thing before, I knew the "discouraging" factor would
be minimal--I was right). Upon arriving at The Huntridge, we immediately
realized we weren't alone in our thinking; "the earlier the better." There
were over 100 people there already. While attempting to park, we were
notified that the tickets were already gone. This was irritating as we (and several others) were under the impression that wristbands wouldn't be
issued until 9:00 A.M. At least, every ad I had read on the show suggested
such. So, based upon what security told us, I decided that it
probably wasn't true, and they were just saying that in the interest of
crowd control.

We did end up parking and sure enough, it began to look more and more like
there would be more wristbands. As we joined the crowd of people hanging out in the Huntdridge parking lot, it was clear that it would be an incredibly wild evening. Most of those waiting were quite drunk, and many were of the--how should I put
this--fast approaching belligerence. This is to say there were plenty of loudmouths and
much slurred speech. It was also surprisingly chilly which is odd given it was Las Vegas in the middle of June.

So there we stood for the next six hours. As the minutes passed, the crowd
grew, and before long, it was obvious that there wouldn't be much order when
it came time to getting the wristbands. In fact, there were plenty of people
trying to merge with the front of the line undetected. Of course, those of
us who had been there for hours were well aware of the slime-balls trying to
weasel their way to the front of the line.

We successfully managed to weed out unwanted guests, but there were plenty
of so-called fans who did manage to sneak into a line they had no business
being in.

The closer it got to 7:00 A.M., the more the tension and pressure built.
With about an hour to go, a good sixty of us were packed in like sardines
near the entrance gate, a situation worsened by the several late arrivals
trying to bust their way to the front of the line.

I have to admit, the guy in front of me made that last hour more than
enjoyable as he was baked off his ass. His stupid "I'm so high!" giggle put
a smile on my face, even if I did become increasingly irritated by the fact
that he kept dumping his cigarette ashes on my shirt. For a moment, I was
worried that he might set fire to the guy in front of me.

About two minutes before we were to be let inside, some dumb ass threw
coffee into the crowd. No, it wasn't hot but it made a mess of things
(albeit not nearly the mess a drunken moron made when he spit his beer at
the back of my head). In a ridiculous act of retaliation, some poseur-punk
rock chick with a rainbow colored mohawk decided to throw food back towards
the direction the coffee came from. Of course, when you have a bunch of
wasted individuals throwing crap at each other, the situation can only get
worse. It did. Not but five seconds later, a beer bottle went flying
thorough the air. Miraculously, the bottle did not hit anyone.
Unfortunately, after it crashed into the concrete, a piece of glass flew
through the air and smacked into the side of some guy's face (a guy who--in
a crazy drunken rage--claimed to be an ex-Navy Seal). Needless to say, he
wasn't happy about it. As the blood slowly began to trickle from the gash in
his cheek, he lunged towards the back of the line to find the stupid
quarterback wannabe that drew first blood. Sadly, this furious individual didn't
get to see the show, as the line began to move the minute he headed out for
revenge. You gotta watch those Deadly Sins.

By dint of divine intervention, Ryan, Danelle and I found ourselves
making it through to the wristband area (we were in the first 40), and this
was despite the fact that hoards of people who had barely shown up, managed
to get towards the front of the line.

After waiting about another fifteen minutes, the group of 100 or so people
who got into the wristband area were given another piece of information. We
were told that the wristband would only get the person wearing it, into the
show. This after initially being informed that a wristband would get you two
tickets. Bummer!

Anyway, we were just pleased to get the damn wristband, and more
importantly, we were happy to make it out alive! Following this whole ordeal, we decided to get a few hours of sleep. Boy did that feel good.

Now, we finally get to the show itself.

We arrived back to the venue at about 6:30 P.M.

As we waited in line, passer-bys would come up to us and offer obscene
amounts of money for our wristbands. Of course, if the wristbands come off,
no show. Besides, I had no interest in selling after the hell I went through
to get the damn thing in the first place.

After about an hour, we finally got inside the venue. The Huntridge has been
in Vegas for years, and as I stated earlier, possesses great sentimental
value, particularly to the plethora of concert loving locals. It's an old
place, but small, providing an intimate vibe (with a capacity in the neighborhood
of 1000 people).

As the lights dimmed, the place went absolutely nuts. This was the moment
everyone had been waiting for, and what's more, it wasn't overly crowded.
Sure, there were a lot of people there, but there was plenty of room move
around. At the very least, it certainly wasn't Coachella crowded.

After a few moments of darkness, Mix Master Mike hit the stage and dazzled
the crowd with his legendary spinning skills. After an impressive, but
rather lengthy solo bit, the Beasies hit the stage, evoking deafening cheers
from the crowd (thank God for earplugs).

I have to admit, that the rush was extraordinary. For the first five minutes
of their set, I was convinced that the wait was worth it. But then, the hype
died down, and what I was left with was a pretty disappointing show. It
wasn't bad mind you, but it certainly wasn't the awe-inspiring performance I
was hoping for.

The Beasties were hardly tight. It could be argued that this was their first
live show in quite sometime, but I have to say; after seeing them three
times, they don't come across as a premiere live act to me. I enjoy their
records and they certainly have some catchy songs, but their stuff doesn't
translate particularly well in a live format. The Beasties' rhythm and sense of timing seemed a little off on this particular evening.

Energy wise, they were fine. They seemed happy to be there, save for Adam
Yauch who looked surprisingly bored much of the time. Still, I love the
guy's voice, which provides a nice contrast with the rest of the Beastie
crew.

The set consisted of tunes from the recently released To the 5 Boroughs
(read Kyle's review on the music page) and songs from their lengthy back
catalog. I wasn't terribly impressed by their song choices. They did do
"Whatcha Want" and a couple of other classics (sadly, no "Sabotage"), and ended
with "Intergalactic" off of Hello Nasty. And in case anyone is wondering, they
did not do "Fight For Your Right" (they seldom do), which is fine, because
that song was more of a party anthem, and doesn't really represent what the
band has become.

The Beasties also took some obvious pot shots at George Bush, but they were
predictable and not particularly effective. At least when Wayne Coyne of The
Flaming Lips pulled similar such antics at Coachella, he gave a little
insight and background into why he was saying what he was saying.

Overall, the whole thing was surprisingly uneventful, and the Beasties even
had to start over on a couple of tunes, as they had to get them just right
for the MTV camera crews that were hanging around in every corner of The
Huntridge Theater.

I suppose it sounds like I hated the show. I really didn't. I just expected
more. Save for the genius that is Mix Master Mike, I found the show as a
whole, surprisingly clumsy and I didn't feel any kind of a connection with
the band. Add to this the fact that they only played around fifty-five
minutes (less, actually--if you count the do overs and encore down time).
But then, what the hell was I expecting. The show only cost $2! You could do
much worse for $2.

I'm still a fan of the Beasties and I'll always buy their records, but quite
frankly, I don't need to see them live again. After this and their Coachella
set last year, I've just come to the realization that these guys are a
better studio band.

My hat's off to MTV though, for throwing this thing together. It's a pretty
cool deal for the fans.

You probably think this report is a bit on the crazy side given I spent more
time on the build up rather than the show itself. The truth is, the "waiting
for the wristband" experience was more of an adventure.

The Beastie Boys 2$ Bill Concert will air on MTV2 on Sunday, June 20th. I'm
definitely going to check it out so I can see how they edit the thing
together. If your looking for me on TV., I'll be the dorky looking one
stage left with the Zboneman.com beanie hat, jumping up and down like a
madman. Ryan and Danelle will be the calm, attractive ones standing next to
me.