What makes this notable is that this is an exceedingly rare occurrence for the band, which is very advertising averse. This marks only the third time that the band gave its blessing after the death of Adam “MCA” Yauch in 2012. Yauch’s will prohibits the use of Beastie Boys music for ads, but the surviving members gave some projects the go-ahead. The first was for the Star Trek Beyond trailer in 2015, the second for Activision’s game Destiny 2 in 2017, and now, for the Democratic presidential candidate, a first for the band.

In 2014, the band was embroiled in a legal battle with toy company GoldieBlox over the unauthorized use of its song Girls in a commercial.

The ad that ran during the NFL game today features Joe Malcoun, the co-owner of Ann Arbor, Mich. bar Blind Pig. The venue has been around for 50 years, hosting some of the biggest acts in music, including Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. 

Malcoun puts the tenuous fate of live music venues—especially his, which he says “has been open and crowded, but right now it’s an empty room”—squarely at the feet of Donald Trump.

“This is the reality of Trump’s [Covid-19] response,” he says. “My only hope for my family and for this business and my community is that Joe Biden wins this election.” 

The Biden campaign said that the band sanctioned usage of the iconic song from the 1994 album Ill Communication “because of the importance of the election.” The ad is one of three targeting NFL fans as the campaigns enter the final stretch. Pixies song Where Is My Mind is also in the ad.

Last week, John Fogerty sent Trump’s campaign a cease and desist order, demanding that the use of “Fortunate Son” at rallies be stopped. Fogerty joins an ever-growing list of musicians and bands demanding that the president and his campaign not use music, including the estates of George Harrison, Tom Petty and Prince, and, perhaps most famously, Neil Young.