The kingpins of smart and savvy rap -- the Beastie Boys -- will treat a hometown crowd of approximately 1,000 fans to an intimate sneak preview of their forthcoming album, Hello Nasty, tomorrow night. |
The crafty trio announced Tuesday they will bombard the stage Thursday at Manhattan's modest Irving Plaza, where fellow New Yorkers Sonic Youth complete a triple-show run tonight. In their first non-festival show in more than two years, the Big Apple rappers will test out fresh material from Hello Nasty, due out July 14, and warm up for this weekend's Tibetan Freedom Concert.
The Beastie Boys' website at Grand Royal Records erupted with ecstatic chatter on Tuesday following the band's announcement. Despite copious rumors that Beck or Sean Lennon may join the band for an onstage duet, the band's spokesman, Steve Martin, told JAMTV on Tuesday that he knew of no special guests slated to perform this Thursday.
Tickets for the intriguing warm-up show go on sale at 9 a.m. today at the Roseland Box Office in New York. Two vouchers will be distributed to each person on a first-come, first-served basis, but Beastie loyals will not be allowed to line up before 7 a.m.
Other lucky fans may catch the Beastie Boys alongside the music industry's brightest stars during the Tibetan Freedom Concert, which will be the group's last performance before embarking on a European tour that begins in Germany on June 20 and ends July 12 in Scotland. On Tuesday, the group announced its North American tour itinerary, which includes a kick off on July 31 in Seattle followed by nine additional dates in the western and central regions of the continent. At the end of August the Beastie Boys return to Europe to headline the Reading Festival.
Though they have not yet announced the venues that will host their Hello Nasty madness, the Beastie Boys will likely play arena-sized gigs, Martin told JAMTV last month. The band will release the names of those venues and additional dates "once the proper cosmic entities are in optimum alignment," Martin said Tuesday.
In other last-minute concert news, the Red Hot Chili Peppers announced Tuesday they will take the stage at this year's Tibetan Freedom Concert after Sonic Youth and before R.E.M. The debut show for returning guitarist John Frusciante will take place Saturday, June 13 at approximately 5 p.m., according to a spokesman for the benefit concert. (Anni Layne)
Here's where you can catch the Beastie Boys on tour in July and August:
July 31 - SeattleAug. 1 - VancouverAug. 2 - Portland, Ore.Aug. 4 - Salt Lake CityAug. 5 - DenverAug. 7 - Kansas CityAug. 8 - St. LouisAug. 10 - MinneapolisAug. 11 - MilwaukeeAug. 12 - Chicago
