Pitchfork

Oh, the Beastie Boys... is there anything they can't do? Those three bad brothers you know so well have been awfully busy this year, from creating customizable AIM icons for destitute, iconless 12-year-old internet junkies, to raising awareness for hunger in New York City. But then there's that whole "world tour" fiasco, which so far has been taking a somewhat minimal aesthetic to heart: Since the June release of their now-platinum (and copy-protected) LP, To the 5 Boroughs, they've made fewer than 10 open-to-the-public live performances.

Fortunately, someone seems to have lit a match to their ass, as the next few months are chock-a-fuckin-block with arena and amphitheater show dates. The seriousness appears to get underway on September 9th at Colorado's Red Rocks, with an incalculable series of California dates tailing close behind. They've also got a handful of shows lined up for the east coast and southern U.S., though at press time, the midwest still gets no love.

One performance of particular interest is the MTV2-sponsored LIFEbeat Benefit, which throws down this Saturday at Miami's Crobar. There, the Boys are scheduled to share the stage with the grandaddies of enlightened hip-hop, De La Soul, with the results being aired on MTV's ugly-sister network M2 on Saturday, August 28th. And if all goes according to plan, the following day will see the trio playing some hit song or another on the MTV Video Music Awards. More dates are expected to be announced very, very gradually. For now, here's the scoop:

08-28 Miami, FL - Crobar (MTV2 Presents: A LIFEbeat Benefit)
09-09 Morrison, CO - Red Rocks Amphitheatre *
09-11 San Diego, CA - Cox Arena *
09-13 Los Angeles, CA - Universal Amphitheater
09-14 Long Beach, CA - Long Beach Arena *
09-16 San Francisco, CA - Bill Graham Civic Auditorium *
09-17 San Francisco, CA - Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
09-19 Seattle, WA - Key Arena *
09-20 Vancouver, BC - Pacific Coliseum *
10-08 Fairfax, VA - Patriot Center
10-09 New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
10-11 Philadelphia, PA - Wachovia Center
10-15 Atlanta, GA - The Arena At Gwinnett Center
10-16 New Orleans, LA - Voodoo Music Experience
10-18 Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Office Depot Center
10-19 Tampa, FL - St. Pete Times Forum
10-22 Austin, TX - Frank Erwin Center
10-23 Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center

* with Talib Kweli