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Music and politics make
for some good bedfellows

Get Out And Vote tour
(Beastie Boys, Tenacious D, Ben Harper & Crosby & Nash)
U.S. Cellular Arena
Milwaukee, WI
Nov. 2, 2008

Tenacious D

Beastie Boys

Ben Harper

Story and photos by Matt Schwenke

With a rotating cast of supporting acts around the Beastie Boys for a short string of shows that included Sheryl Crow, Jack Johnson, Norah Jones, Perry Farrell and Santogold, the final show of the Get Out And Vote tour in Milwaukee had arguably the best lineup two days before the historic Nov. 4 election with Ben Harper, Tenacious D and Crosby & Nash joining the lineup.

Harper opened up the show as much of the crowd was still shuffling in to fill the floor and lower level of seats and managed to catch the crowd's attention with passionate takes on new material like "It's Up To You Now" and others from a forthcoming release rumored to be dropped under the name Ben Harper and The Magnificent Seven, but it wasn't until Jack Black and KG of Tenacious D joined Harper for Bowie's "Under Pressure" that the crowd seemed to respond en masse.

Collaborating with every Get Out And Vote

group on the bill throughout the night, Tenacious D would provide a subtext of comedy and apolitical energy that tied the diverse mix of acts together, and almost seamlessly-- Jack Black narrowly avoided calamity after climbing out on a wing of the stage and partially falling through a platform near the speakers in "The Government Totally Sucks." In true performer style though, he added the incident into the lyrics and got a huge round of laughs out of it. Connecting with the younger and older portions of the audience alike, songs like "City Hall" and "Fuck Her Gently" were mixed with bits of acting and showmanship that had the crowd roaring.

A somewhat awkward transition to longtime political activists and legendary singer/songwriters David Crosby and Graham Nash, the duo slowly gained at least the respect of the youth in the crowd with poignant offerings of "We've All Been Here Before" and "This Is My Country" by Joe Rafael, as well as another guest appearance by Tenacious D. Perhaps most importantly, the entire evening was delightfully devoid of political banter-- save for a few references to counterculture, Obama and change, and a tenuous rant by a serviceman invited to speak on stage-- and focused simply on getting out to the polls and voting.

With the crowd at its fullest and most energized, Michael "Mix Master Mike" Schwartz lit up his turntables before the Beastie Boys stormed the stage and would keep the performance fresh as the three MC's followed the DJ's lead through a lively set. Making reference to having a cold, Adam "MCA" Yauch was the only member who seemed a tad bit lethargic as Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz and Michael "Mike D" Diamond were in constant motion during a lively set of, among others, "Root Down," "Flute Loop," "Do It," and "Super Disco Breakin'." Impromptu moments were the highlights of the show, with Mike D inducing an "All up in your blogspace" call-and-answer with the crowd, and Mix Master Mike seemingly surprising the MC's by mixing Queen's "We Will Rock You" into the Beastie Boys classic "No Sleep Till Brooklyn." After about an hour of music, the Beastie Boys returned to the stage for an encore behind real instruments for "Time For Living," joined by Tenacious D. Apologizing for visibly adjusting his drawers, Ad-Rock said, "Sorry, I actually got a wedgie during that," before bidding the crowd adieu with, "Fucking goodnight and goodbye to George Bush," as the Beastie Boys laid down an equally raucous version of "Sabotage."

Barack Obama's Victory Rally in Grant Park
Livewire's Official Endorsement of Barack Obama
Get-Out-The-Vote For Change Event with Carole King