The frenzy was understandable. From the moment the Beasties kicked off their set, it was clear that Stubb's was the place to be.

Adam "MCA" Yauch, Michael "Mike D" Diamond and Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz bounded onto the canopy-covered outdoor stage shortly after 7 p.m. and played an hour-long set that was filled with familiar raps, lots of laughs and some scorching turntable work by the group's fourth member, DJ Mixmaster Mike.

The veteran emcees busted out several tracks from their most recent studio album, 2004's "To the 5 Boroughs," as well as classic gems such as "Brass Monkey," "Egg Man," "Root Down," "No Sleep Till Brooklyn," "Paul Revere" and a show-closing rendition of the mega-hit "Intergalactic."

Throughout the set, the Beasties seemed as relaxed on stage as if they were hanging out at home, and filled the between-song gaps with plenty of joking--much of which was inside stuff that, nonetheless, still seemed funny to those of us who weren't in the know--and, as Ad-Rock put it, "banter," which MCA helpfully explained is an "industry term."

Though each Beastie Boy now hovers on either the near or far side of age 40 and sports plenty of gray hair (and, in MCA's case, a bushy, mostly gray beard), the trio still comes off like a group of 20-somethings having a blast--which should come as no surprise, since, as Ad-Rock pointed out during "No Sleep Till Brooklyn": "My job ain't a job / it's a damn good time." It's as easy to believe that he means it now as it was when he first said it 20 years ago.