With an historic presidential election hanging in the balance, it wasn’t surprising that the politically minded Beastie Boys headed out on tour. Bringing various accompanying acts to different stops, including Jack Johnson, Ben Harper, and Tenacious D, the Beastie Boys traversed the continent. Their stop in the Twin Cities brought both Ben Harper and Tenacious D.

Tenacious D opened with a set that had many audience members singing along. This was followed by the guitar jams of Ben Harper. But most in attendance seemed to be there for the Beastie Boys, which was unsurprising, as it’s been nearly 10 years since the the group has managed to hit our corner of the Midwest.

After Ben Harper left the stage, Tenacious D returned to Introduce Mix Master Mike and the Boys. The set list was familiar for anyone who had seen their recently released live DVD, Awesome; I Fuckin’ Shot That!. They played a similar set list, comprised of the hits from the last four albums. Opened by the resident Beastie Boys DJ, Mix Master Mike, the show was heavy on the songs from the post-Paul’s Boutique era, as they worked in renditions of “Root Down,” “Sure Shot,” “Intergalactic,” “Ch-Check It Out,” and “Three MCs and One DJ."

Rarely did the action stop, until at one point when they urged a fan dressed in a full-body lizard suit not to crowd surf, for fear of injury to the half-man, half-reptile. They also occasionally took a moment to point out who they might be voting for, spitting various words that rhymed with Obama. Most of the fans familiar with the Beastie Boys’ political activism seemed to be of a similar mindset.

After finishing off what could be described as their hip-hop set, they returned to play some of their catalogue’s rock outliers. They dropped the power chords of “Gratitude” first, followed by the rock radio staple “Sabotage.” The show had gotten off to an early start and was over by just after 10 p.m., most likely due to the venue rather than the performers.

The show was a reminder that for as much as De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest get credit for their innovations in alternative forms of hip-hop in the early ‘90s, the Beastie Boys deserve as much mention, if not more. Despite being what we might now call “elder statesmen,” as the Boys have hit their post-40 years, they still can get on stage and fight for the right to par-tay.

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