January
MTV breaks the news that the Beastie Boys' Grand Royal Magazine has now been released. Due to the high demand and low print run, the magazine quickly sells out and leaves retailers and advertisers begging for more.
February
On February 8th, 1994, the Beastie Boys re-release their old NYHC and Cooky Puss 12" material on the Grand Royal records label in a compliation entitled "Some Old Bullshit." Then on February 20th, 1994 Mike D drops by the MTV Studio in New York, NY to co-host (with Beck and Thurston Moore)the popular alternative rock video show "120 Minutes." At the end of the show, the trio partake in an unconventional jam session that later was released on an unlicensed Beck CD entitled "Quodlibet."
March
On the 27th of March, 1994 Mario Caldato, Jr., Michael Diamond, and Adam Horovitz meet up with Milk at the G-Son studio to record the track "Spam."
April
On April 29th, 1994 the Beastie Boys and Cypress Hill perform at the Leonard Peltier Benefit concert. This show was organized and headlined by Rage Against the Machine, who at the time were very active in pushing for a pardon and release of Peltier. Dressed up in UPS delivery men uniforms, the Beastie Boys performed an exclusive all hip hop set.
May
Before venturing off to Europe in June, the Beastie Boys peform at a handful of stateside venues. Those in attendance got to hear between 10 to 11 new songs off of Ill Communication, mixed in with old favorites.
On the 31st, the Beastie Boys release Ill Communication in the United States. Coinciding with the album's release music retailers begin stocking huge selections of Beastie Boys t-shirts, stickers, and posters. It is a dream come true for many fans and collectors.
June
After concluding their short tour of the United States on June 6th, 1994. The Beastie Boys fly off to England for a series of TV appearances promoting Ill Communication. On June 8th, 1994 the Beastie Boys drop by the British MTV Studio to perform a couple of songs for the MTV's Most Wanted show. Then it is off to Dublin, Ireland for a quick performance, before returning to England for a very intimate performance at London's world reknown Rough Trade Shop store. The Beastie Boys tour then takes off for the rest of Europe with stops in Italy, Belgium, France, and Germany before returning to the United Kingdom.
On June 24th, the Beastie Boys rock a crowd of over eighty thousand music fans at the 1994 Glastonbury Festival in England. Three songs (Sabotage, Sabrosa, and Sure Shot) from this performance later appeared on the Tour Shot Japanese import CD. The last show from of the European tour is held at a smaller venue, the Revolver Club, in Madrid, Spain on June 25th, 1994. The band then returns home to the United States, to rest for a few days before beginning the long 1994 Lollapalooza tour.
July
After hand selecting many of the bands on the bill, the Beastie Boys kick off the 1994 Lollapalooza tour in Las Vegas, NV. As the Lollapalooza tour heated up the summer nights and snaked its way across the United States, the "Sabotage" music video was receiving heavy air play on Beach MTV. The video would later be nominated for 4 MTV Music Video Awards, including best music video.
On July 13th, the Beastie Boys Skills to Pay the Bills home video is certified gold (50,000 units sold) by the Recording Industry Artists Association. Playing night after night, and being on the road for nearly a month does not phase the band who keep morale high by playing pick-up basketball games. By the 29th of July, Ill Communication earns both gold (500,000 copies sold) and platinum (1,000,000 copies sold) sales success.
August
The month of August starts out the same way that July ended, with the Beastie Boys still touring North America as part of the Lollapalooza tour. The Beastie Boys return to New York for a couple of gigs including a performance August 4th on the David Letterman Show and on August 5th (Adam Yauch's birthday) at Downing Stadium. The tour packs fans in day in and day out for most of August, until weather cancels a show date on August 16th, 1994. The next day though things are back on schedule and the tour moves on.
September
As the Lollapalloza tour winds down with a few final shows on the West Coast, the Beastie Boys fans gear up to see the band take home many "Moon Men" awards at the up coming MTV Music Awards. Throughout the month of August, viewers had been encouraged to call in and vote for their favorite performers. Up against the likes of Aerosmith and REM, the Beastie Boys appear to be a lock to win every cateogory. In spite of an outstanding performance of Sabotage live on September 8th, 1994 the MTV Music Awards show, Beastie Boys fans are dismayed as they watch their favorite band fail to win any of the awards.
October
On October 3, thanks to a renewed interest in the band Licensed to Ill sales exceed a total of five million copies sold since its initial 1986 release (5X Platinum). However, the Beastie Boys are not at home to relish this accomplishment. They are preparing for their October 4th performance, in Auckland, New Zealand. The fans in New Zeland get to enjoy a second performance, before the band ventures to Australia for a series of shows.
November
Although the band is scheduled to play several European dates in November, they cancel due to the fact that Eric Bobo injured his arm.
December
After a month of rest, the Beastie Boys are back in top form for their December 10th, 1994 appearance on Saturday Night Live. The group shows their range by performing songs from three different music genres: "Sure Shot," "Ricky's Theme," and "Heart Attack Man."
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