Beastie Boys

The Beastie Boys are fighting for your right to vote.

That's why the New York City hip-hop outfit is joining forces with Jack Black's outrageous rock band Tenacious D. to play a special sold-out get-out-the-vote concert at Denver's Fillmore Auditorium Monday night.

Colorado's a battleground state in Tuesday's presidential election, so the celebrity bands are hosting the show to encourage voters to cast their last-minute votes via a non-partisan night of music.

"It's all up to the individual as to what's important, but this is crucial time to get people to vote," Beastie Boy Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz said. "This is the most important election in my life. This country is kind of fucked up now.

"We've been devastated by the last two elections. The first Bush election came down to 2,000 votes. It ain't right."

The Beastie Boys were concerned about the 2008 presidential results, so the rappers initiated this tour, which has been hitting key battleground states. The supporting lineups have varied in every city, including A-list acts such as Jack Johnson and Sheryl Crow.

"People should do what they want to, but the three of us felt it was important to do something," Horovitz said. "Celebrities do attract people. If someone like the Beastie Boys does your favorite song, you'll probably listen to what that person has to say.

"We definitely have that extra platform with this tour."

The Beastie Boys always have made it a point to support their favorite causes.

The rappers have protested and written songs against the war in Iraq, and the group also organized the Tibetan Freedom Concerts in the 1990s and worked for environmental causes.

No doubt, the band's come a long way since its '80s MTV hit "(You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!)."

"The Beastie Boys have been in a fortunate position to make the music we want to make," Horovitz said. "We've been able to experiment with different sounds and mediums.

"We don't come out with the same thing every time and do the same thing."

The trio likes to mix things up. The rappers' last CD, The Mix-Up, came out in 2007.

"The record wasn't something you'd hear on the radio," Horovitz said. "The Mix-Up was instrumental, because when we all came down to the studio, that's what happened. The next record will be rap, but I don't know what it will be like."

The Beasties' instrumental phase paid off, as the record earned the group a 2008 Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Album.

Now, the Beastie Boys have a new edge to their politics and their sound. That's inspired the rappers' new music and the get-out-the-vote tour.

Last week, Jane's Addiction founder Perry Farrell joined the voting tour in Youngstown, Ohio.

Ben Harper recently visited the University of Colorado campus, and last week he performed with the Beastie Boys in Ohio, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

"The last few weeks are very important as to this election and who gets chosen," Horovitz said. "People are really stressed out about what's going on, so we're doing what we can do.

"We're going to the 'swing states' because we already knew which way Texas and California were going. That's why we wanted to get to Ohio and Colorado."

The Beastie Boys are getting out the same message that director Stephen Spielberg's featuring in his new Election Day commercial.

It's a simple one: every vote counts.

"That's why we're coming to Colorado," Horovitz said. "If you're registered, get out and vote. It's real this time and it's your chance to say something if you want things to change."