“We were just kids, we were just figuring it out, working it out,” sings Mike D on the title track of his recently released debut solo album, Thank You. On one level, the song is a look back to the early days of the Beastie Boys, when Mike D and his bandmates were young, brash, and inventing themselves in real time. Over the years, the Beasties evolved from wise-cracking, hard-partying provocateurs into elder statesmen of hip-hop, their music and public personas growing more thoughtful, open-minded, and self-aware along the way.
On Monday night, however, Mike D was also singing about his sons and their bandmates—a younger generation working out their own musical identities, finding their own voices, and making a joyful mess of the influences they’ve inherited. Part Bad Brains, part hip-hop, part indie rock—the genre labels are beside the point. On Thank You, those ingredients go into a blender, and the result is an unpredictable collision of sounds.
In a live setting, that collision becomes even more raw. Any fans unaware of the new album who heard that Mike D was in town may have expected a Beastie Boys greatest-hits show. Instead, they got something even better: jagged guitars, restless rhythms, electronic textures, and the anything-goes energy of young musicians discovering just how far they can push a song before it flies apart.
The 5D band is very much a family affair, featuring Mike D’s sons Davis, who handles arrangements, and Skyler, on synths, drum machines, and an assortment of samples. Rounding out the band is guitarist Eddie Ruscha, his son Milo on bass, and additional guitarist Will Graefe. But this isn’t just a Beastie Boy sharing the stage with his kids. The younger musicians bring their own ideas and instincts to the mix, making this feel less like a legacy act than a new band with a familiar lead singer. That history, of course, is impossible to ignore, and the group knows exactly how to tap into it without getting boxed in by it.
The set was largely made up of the new album, which sounds even better live. The tracks were able to breathe, and the band improvised some heavy, extended jams. The Beasties weren’t the only covers of the night, either. One highlight was an explosive take on Delta 5’s post-punk classic “Mind Your Own Business,” delivered with an uncut blast of punk energy. The night’s finale was even more exuberant: a funky, spasmodic take on the Beastie Boys’ “So What’cha Want.” As the song lurched forward on that instantly recognizable groove, roughly half the band seemed to become airborne, pogoing furiously between assaults on their instruments. It was a wonderfully chaotic spectacle, equal parts homage and reinvention. The song’s familiar DNA was there, but the performance belonged entirely to the present.
Throughout the night, fans shouted requests, yelled lyrics, and called out memories of past shows (at one point, someone shouted, “FDR Park, 1994!”—a reference to the Beastie Boys’ Lollapalooza performance in the muddy field behind the stadium complex). Mike D has a catalog that could easily support an evening built entirely around looking backward. Instead, he chose to make music with his sons and a group of younger collaborators. He’s a great example to the next generation to keep experimenting, taking chances, and having a blast while figuring it all out.
