Beastie Boys

Friday, October 22

Beastie Boys Back In Business

As the first white rap group of importance, the Beastie Boys received the scorn of critics and hip-hop musicians, who accused them of cultural pirating, especially since they began as a hardcore punk group in 1981. However, the Beasties were not pirating. They were treating rap as a part of a post-punk musical underground, where hip hop and punk were not that far apart. Of course, the exaggerated frat-boy parodies of their unexpected hit debut album, Licensed to Ill, did not help their cause.

The Beasties refined their eclectic approach with 1992’s Check Your Head where they played their own instruments. Check Your Head brought the Beasties back to the top of the charts and within a few years, they were considered one of the most influential groups of the ‘90s.

More than a decade after their genre-blending Licensed to Ill, which added frat-boy humor to hip-hop, the trio delivers lyrics in a pass-the-mic style. After a six-year layoff the Beasties have hit the top of the charts with their triumphant return in 2004 with To the 5 Boroughs; a straight ahead, old school hip-hop album with political overtones. The Beasties with their backing tracks, Paul’s Boutique, Check Your Head, Ill Communication, and Hello Nasty are back on “track” and ready to rock the mic here in Austin, Texas.

Tickets for the Beastie Boys at the Frank Erwin Center Friday, October 22 are $30.50, $36 and $41 General Admission floor tickets and are ON SALE NOW at all Texas Box Office Outlets (includes H-E-B stores in Austin, Bastrop, Bee Caves, Cedar Park, Georgetown, Pflugerville, Round Rock, and San Marcos; Ft. Hood Bldg. #136 and Renaissance Records in Killeen), charge-by-phone at 512/477-6060 or 1-800-982-2386 or order on-line at TexasBoxOffice.com. Convenience charges may apply. All information subject to change. The Frank Erwin Center is a smoke-free facility. Convenient parking is available within walking distance in nearby state and University lots. For more information, call 512/471-7744. uterwincenter.com.