Remembering Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch: The Beastie Boys Perform ‘Ch-Check It Out’ On ‘The Late Show’

Six years ago today the music world took a huge hit when Adam “MCA” Yauch succumbed to cancer. The wildly talented Yauch was a founding member of the Beastie Boys, a group that constantly reinvented themselves over the course of their impressive career. Yauch along with Michael “Mike D” Diamond and Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz came to fame in 1986 with the spectacular success of Licensed To Ill, an album that spawned such hits as “Fight For Your Right,” “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” and “Paul Revere.” The Beasties went on release seven more albums, each iconic in their own ways, including 1989’s sampled-filled Paul’s Boutique, 1994’s eclectic Ill Communication and 2007’s instrumental LP The Mix Up. Mike D and Ad-Rock made the decision not to go on with the band following MCA’s tragic death.

In 2004, the Beastie Boys issued their sixth studio album, To The 5 Boroughs. Diamond, Horovitz and Yauch celebrated the release with a memorable performance of its lead single on The Late Show With David Letterman. The group’s rendition of “Ch-Check It Out” is unlike any in the history of late-night television as the Beastie Boys start off by coming out of a subway stop and then perform in perfect synchronicity while walking through the streets of New York City. A camera with a fish-eye lens captures the action with the Beasties eventually making their way to the Late Show stage at the Ed Sullivan Theater.

Considering To The 5 Boroughs was a tribute to their native NYC, the B-Boys did a fantastic job of capturing the Big Apple’s frenetic energy. Host David Letterman is non-plussed at the end of the song as he welcomes the band to the show as if they had given a typical performance.

Watch The Beastie Boys’ performance of “Ch-Check It Out” from June 14, 2004:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZ2ZHkBzmHQ