BEASTIE BOYS / MURPHY'S LAW / PUBLIC ENEMY
Tuesday, April 7, 1987, The Spectrum (Philly) by Mickey
[Originally published: Issue #1, circa 1987]
OK. I admit it. I cut school to get these tickets (sorry Mom!). Now I'm not so sure if it was worth it cause I'm sick of the BEASTIE BOYS.
The sold out Spectrum went crazy when the opening act, PUBLIC ENEMY, came out. These guys were really great. First off, two uniformed gentlemen with mirrored sunglasses marched on stage and positioned themselves on either side of the mixers. They pulled out fake Uzi machine guns, which smoked, and just stood at attention, never moving throughout the whole set. Then, another uniformed guy marched out on stage during an air-raid siren's screech. He faced the audience, made a speech, and then PUBLIC ENEMY took the stage. Dressed in designer sweatsuits and stopwatches, they kicked out some of the def-est, hardest raps I've heard yet. Total b-boys. They blew me away.
It was general admission, so I pushed my way to the front, because I really wanted to be close to MURPHY'S LAW. It was packed, and really hot, for the people were crowded way in. The stage mas stripped bare, except for the instruments, and MURPHY'S LAW proved that fancy props aren't needed to put on a great show. Jimmy Gestapo put on an especially energetic show, leaping onto the amps and spraying beer all over the audience. The band sounded top-notch, as they played songs off their album (too few, though) such as "Beer", "California Pipeline", "Crucial Barbecue" and "Sit Home and Rot". They also did two covers with the usual MURPHY'S LAW aura of good humor (funny versions of "Wild Thing" and "Steppin' Stone"). A fun, funny, absolutely mindless performance. Bravo! Jimmy told Sean that MURPHY'S LAW will be touring this summer, playing normal shows. Definitely an event to look forward to...
I won't review the BEASTIE BOYS, because PUBLIC ENEMY and MURPHY'S LAW put their half-hearted performance to shame. Don't cut school buying tickets for the BEASTIE BOYS - you'll kick yourself for it.