“Beastie Boy faces the music” read the Liverpool ECHO’s front page on November 10, 1987.
The Beastie Boy in question was vocalist and guitar player Adam Horovitz, also known as Ad-Rock, who had appeared in front of Liverpool Magistrates’ Court charged with assault causing grievous bodily harm. The incident in question took place at Liverpool’s Royal Court Theatre on May 30, 1987, when a concert by the American rap group descended into violence and was brought to a halt after just 11 minutes.
The ECHO 's splash on the date of the court appearance began: “A concert in Liverpool by the notorious Beastie Boy pop group ended in uproar when one of the band threw a can of beer into the audience, striking a girl in the face, a court heard today.” It was the culmination of a gig that started badly and only got worse.
