Boys' Fans Act Beastly in S.F. 
Sunday, April 21, 1996 
©1999 San Francisco Chronicle  

The intended surprise appearance April 10 by multiplatinum rappers the Beastie Boys at the tiny Bottom of the Hill was spoiled by an
afternoon radio announcement on KITS-FM ``Live 105.'' The news precipitated a mob scene at the 17th Street club, where the band
was set to perform under the pseudonym Quasar. By the time the doors opened at 9 p.m., more than 1,200 fans waited outside. After
the unruly line of Beastie-freaks chased a lone San Francisco Police Department cruiser from the scene, police came back in full
force, dispersing the crowd and making a handful of arrests. 

Bottom of the Hill co- owner Ramona Downey was furious. ``We'd hoped this would be a small, word-of-mouth thing, I hadn't even
told my staff about this. Broadcasting this over the air created a mob scene that jeopardizes our status in the neighborhood and with
our regulars.'' ``We screwed up,'' said ``Live 105'' program director Richard Sands. ``I apologize.'' Sands also said that his station
had announced that the show was sold out, and another radio station had also promoted the show. As for the performance, Quasar --
the Beasties with hard-core colleagues Sick of It All, who are doing a short tour of small clubs and traveling by van -- sounded very
much like the pre-hip-hop Beasties. They rocked the house with their own punk classics, including ``Egg Raid on Mojo'' from the
debut album ``7,'' and did some covers, such as X-Ray Spex's ``I Am a Cliche'' and the Circle Jerks' ``Red Tape.'' After the show,
only a few dozen people stayed for the publicized event of the evening -- the record-release party for MCM and the Monster. 

     -- Johnny Angel