In what is being reported as a first, the Beastie Boys have allowed one of their songs to be used in a TV commercial.
The iconic group has given presidential candidate Joe Biden dibs on using the group’s 1994 hit, “Sabotage,” in an ad debuted during NFL games on Sunday. It’s a fitting accompaniment for an ad aimed at shining a light on the devastating impact the pandemic has had on live performance and the venues that’s support them.
The one-minutes spot, called “The Blind Pig,” features Joe Malcoun, co-owner of the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based music venue that the ad is named for, talking about how difficult 2020 has been for his business.
“For 50 years, the Blind Pig has been open and crowded, but right now, it’s an empty room,” Malcoun says. “This is the reality of Trump’s Covid response. We don’t know how much longer we can survive without any revenue. A lot of restaurants and bars that have been mainstays for years will not make it through this.”