No “Passing the Mic” necessary this year.
Mike D of the Beastie Boys just announced he’s striking out on a short solo tour that will send him to five East Coast clubs and one Bay Area music festival in support of his forthcoming debut album “Thank You,” which is due out Aug. 28.
While out and about, the New York City native is slated to make just one Big Apple stop on the brief jaunt.
That’s currently scheduled to go down at Queens’ lively Knockdown Center on Wednesday, Sept. 9.
As for his festival appearance, the 60-year-old Rock Hall of Famer will lend his talents to San Francisco’s Portola Music Festival on Saturday, Sept. 26.
Notable co-headliners on the rump shakin’, two-day bill include party-starters Robyn, Swedish House Mafia, Fatboy Slim, Soulwax and DJ Shadow among others.
Prior to these late summer/early fall concerts, Mike D has played 16 shows all over the U.S., England, Germany, Portugal, France and more.
In late May, he performed two nights at Brooklyn’s Xanadu Roller Arts and played roughly a dozen songs at each show with his stylish backing band that he calls 5D and includes members Eddie Ruscha, Will Graefe and Milo Ruscha as well as his two sons, Skyler and Davis Diamond.
Notable tracks to make the cut on night one included Beastie Boys favorites “Hello Brooklyn,” “So What’cha Want” and “Staring Down the Barrel of a Gun” along with the lead singles “What We Got,” “Switch Up” and “True Colors” from “Thank You,” according to Set List FM.
“With turntables on stage, hip-hop clobber in the audience, a six-piece band in matching outfits and bingo tables at the back, this unlikely show feels simultaneously low-key and an event,” The Guardian wrote about a UK show that Mike D put on in the UK earlier this spring.
“…[5D’s] slamming grooves and crunching guitars aren’t Beastie Boys reheated, but certainly have the same inimitable joie de vivre…indeed the only disappointment in this engaging, fun hour-long show is that there isn’t any more of it.”
No word yet on whether or not Ad-Rock will join Mike D at any of the shows. The last Beastie Boys show before Adam “MCA” Yauch’s 2012 passing was at Bonnaroo in 2009.
Tickets officially go on sale to the general public on Friday, June 26 at 10 am local time through Ticketmaster but are available now on trusted secondary market sites like SeatGeek.
We only recommend sites with a 100% buyer guarantee, so you know your transaction is safe and your tickets will arrive on time.
Make sure to use promo code NYPOST10 for $10 off purchases over $250 at checkout (Editor’s Note: this discount is only valid for users’ first purchase on SeatGeek).
Where is Mike D going on tour in 2026?
A complete calendar including all North American tour and festival dates, venues and links to buy tickets can be found below.
Who else is performing at the 2026 Portola Festival?
In addition to all the exciting artists listed above, we also can’t wait to see Tiësto, Tove Lo, Zara Larsson, Four Tet and Groove Armada among others on Sept. 26-27 at San Francisco’s Pier 80.
Overall, 60+ acts will take the stage on the late September weekend.
Want to go? Single and multi-day Portola Music Festival passes can be found here.
What songs has Mike D been performing live?
Based on our findings at Set List FM, these are the 12 songs Mike D took to the stage at Xanadu Roller Arts on May 22.
01.) “Hello Brooklyn” (Beastie Boys song)
02.) “What We Got”
03.) “Make It Stop”
04.) “Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun” (Beastie Boys song)
05.) “Crypto”
06.) “True Colors”
07.) “I Don’t Care”
08.) “Secrets”
09.) “It’s Time”
10.) “Switch Up”
11.) “Thank You”
12.) “So What’cha Want” (Beastie Boys song)
Mike D new music
Ahead of the release of “Thank You,” Mike D and 5D have released three singles.
Up first is the twitchy, exuberant “Switch Up” that’s a bit more psychedelic Trip-Hop than traditional Beastie Boys-esque rap. Diamond’s vocals are just as strong and nasally as ever. The attitude is still there!
Next, “What We Got” trades the grooviness for a tricked-out Beastie sound. Big drums, flawless flow and flowery, sonic soundscapes floating around in the background make for a triumphant listen.
“True Colors,” the final single, returns to the ’60s. Diamond is having fun evoking early fuzzed-out Can and Pink Floyd while throwing his love of Hip-Hop into the mix. This one’s a hypnotic bop that’ll having you grinning from ear to ear. Just make sure to stick around for the breakdown at the two-minute mark. It’s the best thing produced in these three tunes. Magical stuff.
To hear for yourself, you can find all three “Thank You” lead singles here.
Who is in Mike D’s band 5D?
These are the five members of 5D:
Will Graefe (guitarist)
Eddie Ruscha (drum machine and synths)
Milo Ruscha (guitarist)
Skyler Diamond (singer/songwriter)
Davis Diamond (singer/songwriter)
’80s and ’90s icons on tour in 2026
Mike D isn’t the only throwback hero on the road these days.
Here are just five of our favorites from the “do the Bartman” days all the way up until Y2K.
• Weezer
• Beck
Plus, don’t forget JAŸ-Z has four shows in New York and LA paying tributes to his classic albums “Reasonable Doubt” and “The Blueprint” this year as well.
This article was written by Matt Levy, New York Post live events reporter. Levy stays up-to-date on all the latest tour announcements from your favorite musical artists and comedians, as well as Broadway openings, sporting events and more live shows – and finds great ticket prices online. Since he started his tenure at the Post in 2022, Levy has reviewed a Bruce Springsteen concert and interviewed Melissa Villaseñor of SNL fame, to name a few. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change.