Keys kicked in onstage, then Mike D, Money Mark, and Mix Master Mike bounded out together—this went down on the night of September 21 at The Belasco in Los Angeles, during the closing stretch of Mike D's solo tour stop. The trio came together for a performance of Beastie Boys' 1992 single "So What'cha Want," jumping around throughout in a way that clearly wasn't some rehearsed bit.
Money Mark worked on multiple Beastie Boys albums from 1992 through 2011, serving as the group's longtime keyboardist, while Mix Master Mike also contributed to several of the band's records and remains their go-to DJ to this day. This reunion essentially brought two of the group's key historical collaborators back together on Mike D's own solo stage.
Throughout the night, Mike D also performed Beastie Boys tracks including "Hello Brooklyn," "Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun," "3-Minute Rule," and "Body Movin'," weaving them in between songs from his debut solo album "Thank You," released last month.
There's one notable absence from "Thank You": former bandmate Ad-Rock had no involvement in making it. Mike D told Consequence that he waited until he was "really committed" to the album before calling Adam to let him know, saying, "It was kind of like calling him to say I was falling in love with someone. I guess I was falling in love with making this record." He described Ad-Rock's reaction as "as sweet as can be," adding jokingly that Ad-Rock mentioned he'd been thinking about what to do next too—maybe pick up drumming.
Mike D also said he never intended to bring Ad-Rock into this project from the start: "It would've felt weird to me, and I think it would've felt weird to him too, so why bother? Being upfront and honest about it—making a record that was truly my own mattered to me." Asked whether there's pressure being the first Beastie Boys member to release a solo album, he told NME: "Honestly, it's not a race to the finish line! Adam and I are still really good friends, and he's not competing with me on this. It wasn't until I had to sit down for my first interview that I realized this was even 'a thing.'" He described the album this way: "Musically it's actually pretty immature, but lyrically it's more mature. I feel like I had to relearn how to feel things."
NME gave "Thank You" four stars in their review, writing: "His true solo potential will only fully reveal itself when he pushes harder into the extremes, but "Thank You" on its own terms is already a solid, joyful comeback worth being thankful for. Welcome back."
