Beastie Boys put on a campy show in MTV2’s ‘$2Bill’ series

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, June 10, 2004 | 8:54 a.m.

Ashley Kingman showed up at the Huntridge Theatre late Tuesday, hoping to be one of the first on line for Beastie Boys tickets.

Instead, the 22-year-old Las Vegan discovered several hundred people already turned out, snaking out of the parking lot, along Charleston Boulevard and up Maryland Parkway.

"We thought midnight was early, but it was already crazy," Kingman said. "There were at least 200 or 300 people here, and it was pretty chaotic."

Live appearances by New York City's legendary hip-hop trio have become rare in recent years, but that was only part of the reason for the crush to score tickets to Wednesday night's Huntridge show.

Tickets to the performance -- part of MTV2's "$2Bill" concert series -- were priced at a ridiculously low $2 apiece, a bargain that had diehard fans camped out for hours outside the off-Strip venue.

"The last time I saw the Beastie Boys, I paid $65 at the House of Blues (at Mandalay Bay)," a Las Vegan who identified herself only as Jamie said. "I got here at about 2 a.m. and stayed until I got my wristband at 8, but it was definitely worth it."

Kingman wasn't among the lucky wristband winners, but managed to get a ticket through her job at the Virgin Megastore at the Forum Shops at Caesars.

Others in the crowd of 900 won their way in, through radio station and record store give- aways. One couple in line reportedly drove in from Ohio.

Once inside, the audience discovered a Huntridge Theatre gussied up with eight LED stage screens, a giant DJ riser and plenty of additional overhead lighting, not to mention all the equipment in place to capture the made-for-television event.

Huntridge owner Eli Mizrachi said he'd been told the Beastie Boys -- who played the theater during the early 1990s -- requested that it be the host site for the event, a fact later confirmed by an MTV representative.

MTV2 (Cox channel 38) will air the trio's performance at 5 p.m. on June 20. Previous "$2Bill" participants include Radiohead, Linkin Park, DMX, Coldplay, Snoop Dogg and the Foo Fighters.

Similar to their April 2003 appearance at the House of Blues, the Beastie Boys seemed out of sync with each other and their DJ, Mix Master Mike, for most of the night.

Rappers Mike D (Mike Diamond), Ad-Rock (Adam Horowitz) and MCA (Adam Yauch) halted several tunes midway through, losing their place at times and seemingly forgetting lyrics at others. That rust was understandable given their sporadic recent touring history, but frustrating to an enthusiastic, youngish crowd.

"Well, it's only two dollars," MCA joked after one miscue.

"You get what you pay for, right?" Mike D added.

Despite the ragged nature of the 60-minute show, the Beastie Boys provided a memorable experience for their fans. The three MCs kept their energy high throughout, hopping around the stage and weaving their way around one another.

Mike Master Mike staked his case as one of the most exciting DJs on the scene, warming up the audience with some turntable heroics before the Beasties came out and then digging through his crate of records to create a wild array of backing sounds.

The Beastie Boys previewed material from upcoming album "To the 5 Boroughs" -- the group's first new release in six years -- performing five of the disc's 15 tracks.

The trio went all the way back to 1986 debut "Licensed to Ill" for call-and-response piece "Time to Get Ill." And they sprinkled in some of their bigger hits from the 1990s, including "Pass the Mic," "So What'cha Want" and "Intergalactic."

MCA encouraged fans to vote against President Bush. And Mike D thanked the crowd for its patience throughout the long ticket ordeal.

"I heard everybody had to get on line late last night and early this morning, and it's hot out there," he said. "So thank you for cooperating."