i really can't remember why, but i saw beastie boys live several times in the nineties, and i wasn't all too crazy about their live shows. but even with that said, new beastie boys projects always get me excited. one of the few groups out there that has an appreciation, respect, and genuine love for all the music that came before them, these guys really live the life i want to have: the ability to create on their own terms. they're also one of the few bands that gets to operate without pandering to outside forces; like pearl jam, for example, beastie boys seem to be doing their own thing, and having a blast while doing it. lucky bastards.when awesome; i fucking shot that! started i was a little concerned about the confuse-o-vision editing of all those cameras together; i kept wondering if i could take this were i an epileptic. but the movie's balance of editing and storytelling, the switch between the hand-held fan cams and the "clearly expensive" cams, plus the stage show itself -- wow!
when the stagehands wheel the wedding band set out onto the stage with everyone dressed in nasty tuxes, it's awesome. intergalactic in the audience? mix master mike wreckin' the decks? doug e fresh? ben stiller seen singing along? this movie was great (much more engaging than the neil young movie i saw a few weeks ago; although the case can be made that the two disparate music styles cannot accomodate comparison, i believe that the mr. young's movie could have been better if it wasn't shot in that boring old stock-footage-y way most concert movies are filmed in) and makes me want to try them live again...