Words: Miljan Milekić
For days leading up to this show, I tried to figure out how to write about it. How to make it all about Mike D and his current project, without writing about the Beastie Boys. But then it hit me – I don’t need to. Yes, ‘Thank You’ is a great record in its own right, but Mike D isn’t trying to escape his past – he is embracing it. There couldn’t have been Beastie Boys without Mike D, and he wouldn’t be who he is today, musically or personally, if it weren’t for the Beastie Boys.
This became crystal clear the moment he and his 5D stepped on stage and kicked things off with ‘Hello Brooklyn’ from 1989’s ‘Paul’s Boutique,’ immediately getting the crowd going. By the time they started their set, History was pretty packed with one of the more chaotic crowds I’ve encountered at shows. Over the years, Beastie Boys have explored different musical landscapes, pulling in fans from all over the music spectrum, and it seems like Mike D’s solo work is doing pretty much the same. Punks and skaters, hip hop fans, ravers, and metalheads, across all generations, all checked in for this musical journey.
Continuing what he does best – mashing genres and influences – Mike D was cruising through his set, leaning heavily on his solo debut. Songs like ‘What We Got,’ ‘Make It Stop,’ and ‘That’s Right,’ already seem to have found their way to fans. Occasionally, new songs would be split by some of the Beastie Boys’ material, so the fans were treated to ‘Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun’ early in the set and ‘3-Minute Rule’ somewhere in the middle of it. Later parts of the set brought in songs like ‘Switch Up,’ clearly a fan favourite from ‘Thank You,’ the title track from the record, and ‘Secrets Pt. I’ and ‘Secrets Pt. II’ bundled together in a medley.
This part of the set was also reserved for ‘Remote Control’ and ‘Body Movin’,’ both drawing big reactions from the crowd. These two songs, or rather, the choice to play them, made me appreciate Mike D and his set even more. While not exactly deep cuts, none of the Beastie Boys songs played up to that point were among their obvious, massive hits. Rather, they complemented Mike’s own material and never felt out of place. The encore was brief but energetic, starting with a cover of Delta 5’s ‘Mind Your Own Business,’ before finishing with the legendary ‘So What’cha Want,’ which unsurprisingly made everyone in the crowd go crazy.
The main takeaway of the show, for me at least, wasn’t the songs themselves, but how much the band seemed to have fun onstage – all eight of them. At this point in his life, Mike D doesn’t have to do this. He is already in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and was a member of one of the most influential music groups of all time, transcending scenes and genres. A group that sold millions of records and had multiple #1 albums. He could have easily sat back and milked the Beastie Boys’ legacy for years to come, but instead, he is in the studio and back on tour, making music with his sons and traveling the world playing it.
Mike D 5D weren’t the only act of the night, as the opening slot was given to Staten Island-raised, Los Angeles-based Angelnumber 8. Working with a sampler and joined onstage by a guitarist, the eclectic artist ran through a short set of his own, combining hip hop with elements of ambient electronic and classical music, with a splash of soul and R&B. It didn’t seem like too many people in the venue knew his music, but as the set progressed, the crowd got more engaged, especially during the set closer ‘Houston Rocket.’ I wouldn’t be surprised to see him back in Toronto sooner rather than later, potentially in a smaller venue, and with a show of his own.
