WEEKEND REVIEWS : Pop : Beasties Come on Strong at Peltier Benefit

The Beastie Boys, the white rap outfit that broke big in suburbia with its 1986 hit “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!),” jumped around like unruly kids on a sugar high on Friday at the Cal State Dominguez Hills Velodrome, while the fans on the field mirrored the trio’s moves en masse.

The Beasties, returning to action after a long layoff, came out on top in a strong lineup of seven bands headlined by L.A. rock/hip-hoppers Rage Against the Machine. Also featured were laid-back rappers Cypress Hill and rootsy punks X. The sold-out show was a benefit for imprisoned Native American activist Leonard Peltier.

The Beastie Boys came on an hour late because the crowd kept surging forward and knocking down barricades in front of the stage. After finally coaxing the audience to move back, the trio played a short set of old and new material full of heavy bass and Beasties effects--distorted samples, changing rhythms, dub meltdowns. The three, who looked like zookeepers in their brown polyester uniforms and hats, bounced whiny, nasal rhymes off one another, giving the booming sound even more dimension.

Cypress Hill kept the crowd going with its cool, repetitious grooves, while headliners Rage Against the Machine, whose popular song “Freedom” is dedicated to Peltier, banged out a typically angry, politically charged set.