From reddit... "I worked on this crew, and I was right behind the steadicam op, one of several utilities pulling cable. Actually, this was live-to-tape like every Letterman show. We rehearsed it several times, and pulled it off in one shot for the taping. At the time, this bit got serious accolades from the steadicam and tv tech community, given the technical challenges that we faced. The most widely overlooked aspect of the Letterman version of the Late Show is the fact that we did this kind of stuff on a regular basis. This segment was not nearly the most challenging thing we did that year, but it looks and sounds so good that it gets much more attention."

@perdbeer6713

Жыл бұрын

"There were permanent RF antennas outside because of all of the outside shoots we did. It’s likely even more were added for this and run up from engineering to the street. I maybe misremembering, but I believe their hand mics were going to RF receivers on the steadicam, and then hitting production audio through the camera cable,...at least until they got inside and hooked into the RF system. Outside shoots on 53rd street were common practice, so technically, we could always follow a semi-regular template of how the cams and audio were configured and passed through the control room. In essence, we were always ready to shoot anywhere at any time, based on the whim of the producers, writers, or Dave himself. If Dave mentioned a play on Broadway, or a manhole cover on 53rd st, we would be moving to get camera 4 or 5 out the door right away. If Dave decides he wanted to have an unscheduled chat with Rupert, it would be lit and covered on cam in minutes. So when the Beastie Boys wanted to perform in the subway, we were already partly prepared for it."

@perdbeer6713

Жыл бұрын

"The DJ is part of the production mix, house mix, monitor mix, and music room mix. Any of those sources can go into any in ear monitor in the house. It’s how the band can hear themselves and the host mic in the same mix. The DJ could have been on the roof, the 11th-14th floors, the green rooms, or the basement boiler room where we keep George Clark, and it would have worked out the same. As long as you can get the signal to the control room, it can get into the mix. So program audio is always going to match all other audio mixes, in terms of sync. During the shoot, I had program audio in my headset, hearing their performance in real time. Their performance was synced with what I was hearing also. My audio source was the control room, theirs was the monitor mix. It’s all synced. I have limited audio knowledge, so I think that’s a reliable answer. There’s at least 50 feet from the elephant doors to the first spot exposed to the audience. Plenty of time to remove sunglasses. Also, we only did this once for an audience. It’s very very unlikely they’d use footage from rehearsal in the show. In fact, I’m not sure that we actually ran through the whole outside-to-inside walk at full speed with the actual band during rehearsal. There may have been stand ins to block shots, and then a low key walkthrough to show the band how it’s going to go. I believe the actual sound check happened on stage without the walk. "

@123JWJWJW

Жыл бұрын

thanks for sharing. I was wondering about this considering when it took place. I was thinking how fast they are going and then the cable to the right and it was good work or a miracle no one tripped or got in their way.

@MrOvlov02

Жыл бұрын

know your cuts of meat

@adamlytle2615

Жыл бұрын

I came into the comments to say something like "shout out to the crew that must have had to run hundreds of feet of cable and then walk behind the camera operator pulling it all up again" and was so pleasantly surprised to find this bit of behind the scenes info. Thanks for posting.

Their arrival on stage with the words "Shazam and abracadabra" was perfect.

@capgorski

4 ай бұрын

wildly underrated comment

@Naytone1

7 күн бұрын

Now you know where em gets his inspiration from

My wife and I had gotten married on June 5, 2004 and we decided to do New York for a couple of weeks and just do everything we could in the city instead of a boring beach honeymoon. From the MoMA to Times Square, theater shows, to just hanging in the SOHO and seeing bands etc. We lucked out and got to see this taping of David Letterman live from the audience. We were watching the Beastie Boys perform through the street on a monitor and at first I was bummed because we thought they weren't gonna even be in the studio at all. But when they came in the back way everyone in the audience just exploded. One of my favorite NYC memories of all time.

@trump-totalwar6509

Жыл бұрын

cool story bro

@CaptAwesumNo1Zone

Жыл бұрын

That would be an epic moment, my God I've wanted to go to New York ever since I was a kid, that city blew my little mind, I found it all so fascinating that a place like that existed compared to the small city I was from

@rileyk5228

Жыл бұрын

Dude! What a show to attend

@davidlillecrapp2960

Жыл бұрын

Married in 2004 too. Big anniversary next year!

@DougEFresh-mj1xf

Жыл бұрын

My wiiiiiife

Legendary performance! No one does it as cool as the Beastie Boys! RIP MCA. Happy Birthday.

@jamesmuller1481

Жыл бұрын

no one is right. If any other white guys tried to rap like this, they would look stupid.

@modgmodg6987

Жыл бұрын

Indeed. RIP MCA 🙏.

@natethenub6595

Жыл бұрын

My top 3 groups all time!

@ukrainianhiphop

Жыл бұрын

💜💜💜💜💜💜 Fan for 20 years Ukraine 🇺🇦 Zaporizhzhya The war zone 💥💥💥🪖 All money 💰💰💰 spend on music cassettes. Beastie Boys always been 1🏆💯💪 RIP MCA 🙏☦️

@sharonisaac445

Жыл бұрын

❤💎👑🎤

Mix Master Mike is AMAZING... No gimmicks -- just wax, a mixer, and a shitload of raw talent.

@toomuchsumo

Жыл бұрын

Word up! One of thee best D-J's on the planet.

@heirrose1606

Жыл бұрын

@@toomuchsumo Watched them at Coachella ages ago and it was so windy a couple times his records flew off his board mid-scratching and he deftly flipped new vinyl on and Mike D jumped on the beat on point. Mix Master Mike was incredible with his instincts in the moment,

@sonnyspliff

Жыл бұрын

that just might be the most perfect description ever.

@Lycan_24_7

Жыл бұрын

Look up beastie boys glasgow

@robmausser

Жыл бұрын

I love how he stops cueing up the next record to do the miss piggy impression into the mic. Priorities.

The chemistry between the 3 of them is incredible.

@BrynDonovanWriter

3 ай бұрын

They pass the mic so easily, pure camaraderie

@Birgitta123

Ай бұрын

Yes omg! ❤

MCA's voice was just epic. He just always sounded like he was too cool to even be there lol. RIP

@booradley0x0

4 ай бұрын

His voice is so distinctive, it’s rad!!

@YOURTECHFRIEND

4 ай бұрын

Not to speak of his Bass playing - Very cool !

One of the most legendary entrance by a group!

@MitchClement-il6iq

Ай бұрын

Jus like there old school music videos 😊

Timed perfectly on the stage entrance with MCA’s “shazam and abracadabra” and I mean come on the whole thing was amazing.

@TSOL2023

11 ай бұрын

My favorite moment, Adam was a low-key wizard.

@cotelo00

4 ай бұрын

That was perfect… perfect coordination

In 2004, coming off of a 6 year hiatus, the Beastie Boys debuted their new single on the Letterman Show in what I think is the best musical performance in the show's history. You just can't take your eyes off it.

@seanluke3052

Жыл бұрын

Best in the show's history? Check out James Brown on the show first.

@leebutton3032

Жыл бұрын

Have watched this so many times. Three guys at the top of their game. Just listen to those lyrics. So so clever. And to do this without a glitch is true genius.

@ThomasTallant

Жыл бұрын

This and the Foos

@browngaymethodistjesuschri1361

Жыл бұрын

Wavves exists

@roykentseyebrows4196

10 ай бұрын

I agree.

These 3 gentlemen changed the game. Mix Master Mike 🔥

Basically one of the greatest performances ever broadcasted in Letterman. The boys going out of the subway with this classic fish eye effect on steadicam… Perfect

@JaredBrownAtLarge

2 ай бұрын

Them boys sure loved that fish-eye! Can't beat 'em!

Beastie Boys make life just about worth it

Whoever coordinated this performance deserves a medal...imagine performing live through New York

Can we get a round of applause for Mix Master watching and waiting and being an MVP during the whole song?

Mad props to the camera crew running backwards in front of the Beastie Boys.

The contrast of their voices just makes my brain go brrrr. RIP MCA 🐐

"Sport that freshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh attire!" Love it. A classic performance I'll always love.

2:37 MCA on fire 🔥

Authenticity is why the Beastie Boys has stood the test of time. At their roots, they are a punk rock group, and nothing is more punk than doing something nobody expects (such as 3 white boys rapping when it was almost exclusively a black artform at the time) R.I.P. to MCA

@zxcccccc1

Жыл бұрын

The black kids were into clash and Billy idol also.

@skineyemin4276

Жыл бұрын

Well, at their roots, they were music students or at least 2 of them were.., punk was just apart of the fabric of NYC in those days.

@SuperRobertoClemente

Жыл бұрын

It's a piece of their identity, but not the skills piece-- many punk rockers barely knew how to play their instruments when they started. To be this good at rapping and production-- remember that Paul's Boutique was an all-world leap forward in sampling-- you had to be dyed in the wool true believers-- not performance art provocateurs. There are plenty of examples of the latter, and they're cringe.

@anthonyv6962

Жыл бұрын

@@skineyemin4276except they weren’t music students the were in a hardcore band opening for the biggest hardcore bands. They were students of music in that they loved music

@Malambrizzle

10 ай бұрын

Not meeting MCA will always be one of the greatest regrets of my life. LINY, SINY for life ❤

Best TV performance in history IMO. I remember watching this live and jumping out of my chair. So great.

@deadlotCamper

Жыл бұрын

jumping off the chair and waking the neighbors and not caring. superbly kickass

@hustler3of4culture3

Жыл бұрын

Yeah it was pretty darn cool

They were almost 40 here but they still rock like they’re in their 20s. Pure gold ❤

One of the truly great musical performances on the show -- or any show.

How tight were they. Spotless performance. How anyone could dismiss this at the time is beyond me. They were heralded as the destroyers of youth when they hit the shores here. I’m so glad they destroyed mine. Opened my ears to a whole new genre

Mega-Props to Mix Master Mike scratching in the studio while this whole 'out of studio' thing was happening. He just held it down, made it work and rocked it out.

A group that elevates your mood every time. Thankfully got to be their fan for decades. "It's called gratitude, and that's right!"

My daughter showed me this version and I can't believe I've lived this long without watching this performance. So.damn. perfect. ❤❤❤

@jcdthevoice3896

9 ай бұрын

Seek everything they ever did live. They belong on the Mt. Rushmore...

That has to be one of the coolest performances in Hip Hop 👏🏼

They were so in sync as a group. And divided the work. No one outshined anyone

There’s so much about this that’s impressive, both performance wise and the crew behind it. R.I.P. to MCA, my favorite Beastie Boy.

The Beasties are geniuses at making themselves look like they do everything kind of half-assed, when in reality a performance like this takes huge amounts of preparation and talent. Another thing they don't get enough credit for is their fashion influence. They started the whole thing of wearing ironic T-shirts, Converse high-tops, etc back in the 80s and it's still going strong today.

@DougMacRay

10 ай бұрын

Excellent summary. Cheers from Boston.

This is genuinely one of the best performances I've ever seen on television, and because of that, it remains my favorite Beastie Boys song.

The Respect that NY had for the Beastie Boys and the Respect they had for NY was very obvious. Great Song and Great Group. Thank you for sharing.

I remember watching this live like it was yesterday. Thanks for bringing back a great memory.

@DeanMichaud

Жыл бұрын

same same, man - feels like forever ago and yesterday all at the same time

God, I miss these guys. 😥 Beastie Boys forever! 💙🤘🥃

I remember watching this LIVE... The Beastie Boys were PERFECTION... Miss You, Yauch! Thanks, Dave & Beastie Boys!

I know nothing about hip hop or rap, child of the late 70s 80s and when The BB’S STORMED on to the world’s stage I instantly became a fan of the genre in that ERA!

Outstanding performance and kudos for the Letterman production staff for pulling this off. Beastie Boys and Dave were both pivotal figures in NYC entertainment.

@michelek.5233

Жыл бұрын

Letterman loved the B-Boys and I will always love him for that.

@yohei72

Жыл бұрын

Now that you mention it.... one of the things that made Letterman's show(s) unique was the extent to which it was rooted in its place. The Carson & Leno Tonight Shows, for a counterexample, could take place in a studio anywhere - but with Letterman, you were always aware of the city swirling just outside the studio doors and the show often took you out into it. This started right from the first seconds of every episode, with the camera swooping through the city and the announcement "From New York..." followed by a different joke about the city every night, and after 9/11, an expression of local pride. How often did The Tonight Show even mention the city it was taped in? (And what would you even say about Burbank?)

@Rob_Kates

Жыл бұрын

@@yohei72 Right, it's like NY was one of the characters in the show almost. The location was pivotal. Carson said little about Burbank, except to make fun of how it's stodgy and not too exciting. Hence, Ed McMahon said "From Hollywood..."

@michelek.5233

Жыл бұрын

@@yohei72 It was the same for Beastie Boys too, NYC was like the 5th member of their group.

I love how Ad Rock just posts up on Dave's desk at the end, taking over the whole set like a boss.

@ShelterDogs

17 күн бұрын

He does that a lot, it seems. You can see him doing it on the Joan Rivers Show back in the 80s.

Beastie Boys the best hip-hop classic!!

This vid lives in my head rent free

Top 5 Letterman moment for me. RIP MCA.

This was 18 years after their debut and they were still killing it. Testament to their skills and longevity. Great performers live, saw them several times.

R.I.P MCA such a raw musical performance 👏

Loved this performance! From walking the streets to the theater to ending their song by congregating at Dave’s desk! Thanks for posting this!

I remember watching this when it originally aired.what an UNFORGETTABLE performance from MIKE D,AD ROCK and of course,MCA he will never be forgotten.R.I.P to him.

Absolutely amazing performance. AdRock's flow is legendary. I could watch this over and over. One of the many examples of how iconic Beastie Boys truly are.

They don't get spoke on enough in hip hop culture. Dope group.

@skineyemin4276

Жыл бұрын

Well, they did for many years before that, so..,

@OM-et4qj

Жыл бұрын

Bicycle spoke?

@carlrice1774

Жыл бұрын

This isn't true. The people you hang out with don't do it but people who truly know hip-hop know who they are and give them props.

@Crs313

Жыл бұрын

I'm speaking on generalized media. I don't hear any1 now days mention them. Period

@lucasm3879

8 ай бұрын

@@Crs313 I rate Beasties above Eminem. Not many people seem to agree with me but I’m old school ✌️

Such amazing rappers. Truly ground breaking.

AD-ROCK smacks it - its all about his flow!!!

To this day i can’t watch a video with a fisheye lens without thinking of the beastie boys🤘🏻

You can't tell me this ain't the illest most original late night performance ever 😐👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾🫱🏾🫲🏾🤜🏾🤛🏾✊🏾🥲🤛🏾🕊️🙏🏾🕊️🙏🏾

@JaayEmm

Ай бұрын

I feel that... but B Boys doin' Sabotage on the Late Show may be even 'iller'...

@jimmybootz1277

Ай бұрын

@@JaayEmm 🤔💭ok....ok.....I don't disagree with this observation🫵🏾👏🏾👏🏾🤜🏾🤛🏾✊🏾

@zatoichimasseur6767

22 күн бұрын

Only Boys could out Il each other bro.

Greatest musical performance on letterman...end of story.. 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

This was one of the coolest bands performances I had ever seen. I saw it the day it aired and flipped out. Fantastic!

A classic performance

I remember staying up late to watch this. One of my favorite BB performances ever.

LEGENDS..ICONS..including David

Che Grandi che sono stati. Che stile MCA, da paura!!!! GRANDI

Wow I'm finally seeing this in good picture quality after all these years!!

These guys are STILL the bench mark for Hip Hop.

A once in a lifetime band..... No, hold up, a once in a millennium band. PERIOD!

Absolute legend.

My definition of TALENT

Been to about 1200 concerts. Still those fellas gave the funnest concert I ever went to. Everyone was grinning ear to ear.

Beastie Boys and Tribe Called Quest. Love them both.

AD Rock is a beast perfect voice on the mic

They're just the best. GOAT status til infinity

Best Band Ever...none can compare...none can create like them and no one will replace them

This is just too fresh to bear. Absolutely amazing. Legends!! Forever!...

I was 8 when Licensed To Ill was released and it was the soundtrack to my youth. I was blessed to see the Hello Nasty tour and they didn’t disappoint. RIP MCA.

What A GROUP !!!!!!!!!! Long Live BB

Brilliant band.. brilliant way to enter the audience 😄 these guys are awesome 👍🏻💯🙏🏻mca you're sadly missed brother.

Literally the coolest people to ever live!!!!!

The sad part late night music is dead, it died the night of Dave's last show. Come to YT for the memories

Gold standard for three MC hip hop

Amazing performance

Holy shit were old. Look at people using digital cameras and flip phones capturing those memories.

Almost 40 years old, but still PUNK/METAL/RAP goes on!!!

THE best musical guest appearance ever.

That set was just soo hot!!! Still lovin the Beasties in 2023!!!

@user-sb1kl8dh6h

2 ай бұрын

They will ALWAYS be cool. It’s just a scientific fact.

Mix master Mike is the GoAT

This is what winning looks like.

I love you they timed the start of the song just as they were getting off the subway to come to the studio. (😉)

The Beastie Boys were the champs. They could walk, rap, AND chew gum at the same time!

@Investigate_Mermaids

Жыл бұрын

Omg I was just laughing about how Adam still had to have his chewie going while half running up the street.

this just gave me pure joy

MCA’s voice is legendary man. All there voices were no doubt but man his was special

2023 Still rockin'

Great to have this in HQ

This is my favorite Beastie Boys song.

This is one of the greatest things Ive ever seen.

I’m watching this video on my phone I started clapping when it ended lol 😂

These guys helped me thru the 80’s and some rough times growing up. I felt like they were never appreciated in real time like they should have been. Super talented guys. Good times. 🌳 🌲.

The Greatest! What a performance!

I forgot they rolled up on to Dave Soo Awesome !!!

Something I love about rap groups performing onstage, here at 1:57 when 2 artists of a group walk past each other.

2024 still 🔥🎤🎤🎤🔥

just exceptional

I'm impressed that they were able to synchronize the audio from the studio to outside for them to monitor without delay.

This one of my favorites

Maybe this is weird, but I love that MCA got to shake hands with David Letterman.