October 31, 2008

by Rob Thomas

Hip-hop trio the Beastie Boys will help University of Wisconsin-Madison students get out the vote Sunday afternoon on campus.

The platinum-selling New York City trio best known for urging listeners to "Fight For Your Right To Party" in the 1980s will make a stop on the UW-Madison campus at 2 p.m. to join the Get Out the (Power) Vote effort. Students in green T-shirts and hard hats with the Power Vote organization will canvas Greek Row and other downtown locations urging students to vote in record numbers on Nov. 4. Power Vote aims to mobilize a million young voters to head to the polls Tuesday, focusing on clean energy and green economy issues.

Following the Madison stop, the Beastie Boys will head to Milwaukee to play a "Get Out and Vote" concert at 7 p.m. at U.S. Cellular Arena with Crosby and Nash, Tenacious D and Ben Harper. Tickets for that show are $35 through www.ticketmaster.com.

The Beastie Boys are not the only big-time music act rocking the vote in Madison this weekend. Chicago roots-rockers Wilco, who are supporters of Sen. Barack Obama are playing a free "Concert for Change" show at noon Saturday at the Wisconsin Union Theater, with appearances by Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., and Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison. Following the show, Baldwin will lead audience members up State Street to City Hall so they can vote early.

Coincidentally, the last time the Beastie Boys were in Madison was to play a concert at the Alliant Energy Center Coliseum on Nov. 3, 2004, the day after President George W. Bush was elected to a second term. The Beastie Boys were clearly not thrilled by the outcome.

"In John Kerry's concession speech today, he said we should all come together and support President Bush," Adam "MCA" Yauch told the audience. "I just want to say (expletive) that."