#fls1993

Fugazi, Blue Note, Columbia, MO USA 8/27/1993 (FLS #0570)

Fugazi’s 1993 tour arguably captures the band at its absolute prime. The band was locked in, fierce, and still carrying some of that underground bite. This August 27th show at the Blue Note in Columbia, Missouri, is a case in point. Just glance at the first eight songs, and it’s clear they hit the stage with force, seizing the crowd by the throat and charging through the set with relentless energy.

The performance is raw, intense, and unapologetic. While the recording is a little rough around the edges, that only adds to the power of the show, feeding off the confrontational vibe of the night. The vocals start off low in the mix, especially in the first couple of songs, but balance out as the gig gains momentum.

The recording documents a strong performance overall. Memorable highlights include a bone-crushing rendering of Reprovisional to open the set, the one-two punch of Instrument into Sieve-Fisted Find, the dual guitar interplay and jam on Promises, and a drawn-out build-up and extended outro of Sweet and Low that stretches into the night on the subtle rim clicks of Brendan’s snare drum.

The setlist packs 20 songs, with In On The Kill Taker front and center with no less than nine tracks. Five tracks come from Repeater, three from Steady Diet of Nothing, two from the 7 Songs EP, and just one from the Margin Walker EP. This show is pure Fugazi intensity at its best.

For some more information, check-out Antti's elaborate write-up of this gig in the comments section via the show hyperlink above.

The set list:

Show ticket courtesy of Greg Dunlap

Fugazi, Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL USA 9/3/1993 (FLS #0575)

While Fugazi would include the city of Chicago to their tour itinerary on 9 different occasions between 1988 and 2001, sometimes even playing back to back shows at the Oak Theatre (May 1993) or, later on, at the Congress Theater (May 1998 and June 2001), they would play the Aragon Ballroom just one time, and from what I gather, things did not go off without a hitch. 

Interestingly, in a March 18, 2009 interview by Mark Prindle for Rebel Noise, Ian MacKaye recalls:

“[...] we played at this place called I think the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, and at that time there was these 'T' barricades. Are you familiar with that? It was a giant room that held 5,000 people, and the barricade was shaped like a 'T,' so you had the horizontal bit in front of the stage, but then right in the middle there was a barricade that goes straight down dividing the 'pit,' so to speak -- or the 'crowd,' if you prefer -- into two. But then you had to bring in even more security people to be in the middle slot. And we argued and argued about it, but the fix was in. The security people were connected, insurance rates drove up costs, and everything was just creating this insane confluence of things that jacked the cost of the show higher and higher and higher. I couldn't get them to waive it, so finally I said that I insisted that we include in the budget 100 balloons and a can of helium. And the guy was like, "What? What are you talking about!?" And I said, "If you're gonna have such a draconian set-up, and since when people are entering the room that's the first thing they'll see, it sets a contrary tone. So as a form of protest and an absurdity, I would like to soften it by having balloons tied to it all the way around." They did it! But I was just spitting in the wind, because that night we just got banged. We had 3900 people at that show, and we made less than the guy that drove the forklift. That's the risk we took by working percentages.”

Still, even if it turned out to be a mere one-off experience, the history of the Aragon and history of the band are now forever intertwined, for better or for worse.

According to Wikipedia, “[c]onstruction [of the venue] was completed in 1926. The Aragon was designed in the Moorish architectural style, with the interior resembling a Spanish village. Named for a region of Spain, the Aragon was an immediate success and remained a popular Chicago attraction [...].” 

And from the looks of it, this place is massive.

Photos courtesy of the Chicago Architecture Center

The architectural layout might explain why the band pretty much came out swinging, firing on all cylinders, and steamrolling their audience.

As a result, this recording and entry in the live series surely is an interesting one, and one well-worth visiting, in spite of just a handful of small drawbacks, such as minimal cuts in between songs, some low end rumble, or Joe (very unusually) being out of sync for a couple of bars during an otherwise crushing version of Public Witness Program.

Two Beats Off surely is a highlight here, as are Brendan’s rim clicks closing out Sweet and Low and the set.

For a more in-depth review of the performance, I will refer to the words below by Antti Väärälä.

“The stars are really out tonight.”

Fugazi back in Chicago, touring the brand new In On The Killtaker album. This time they hit the historic Aragon Ballroom, having played two back to back shows at the city's Oak Theatre a few months prior at the tail end of their spring 1993 tour of the US. Aragon tends to get a bad rap for its acoustics, and admittedly the sound of this recording feels somewhat boomy and a tad out of balance, quite possibly because of the room's characteristics. I would still rate the sound as very good, because nothing feels unpleasant, and all the elements are audible and distinct.

Now for the show itself. Don't think the crowd's enthusiasm would be diminished because of the two big Oak Theatre shows just a little while back. In fact, the audience welcomes the band with open arms and there's a great atmosphere right from the start. Ian opens the show with funny remarks about the stage height, urges people to refrain from crowd surfing, and off we go into the anthemic Smallpox Champion.

The band is on a hot streak to say the least. The initial flow is filled with fiery performances, my highlights being the absolutely stunning duo of Facet Squared and Walken's Syndrome. Still, I gotta give big credit to how the flow goes from Merchandise to a surprisingly early appearance of Blueprint. This genius move does wonders to really lift the atmosphere through the roof.

Instrument and Rend It form an intense and heavy pair, as both Ian and Guy hold nothing back in their respective performances. The mid-set classics follow in the same vein, with Waiting Room being one of the hardest rocking versions of the song I've heard so far. The list of red-hot performances could go on and on. But I have to give a special mention to the final four tracks heading to the encore as they are vibrant Fugazi punk rock at its absolute finest. Public Witness Program's exceptionally high intensity causes Joe a few slips, but the onslaught of Great Cop more than makes up for it. Tonight's Two Beats Off is the epitome of the "Picciotto Cool", and a totally infectious Repeater shakes all the leftover energy off the room, fueled by a wonderfully jarring intro jam by the whole band. Listen to the big singalong during the bridge, and you can't help but join in for the insane partying of the final explosion. Cheered back to the stage, the band continue the jams with the same level of excitement. Admittedly the flow is a bit uneven going from Cassavetes to the calm of Long Division, and then back to a very rocking Runaway Return, but that is only a microscopic gripe, as all the performances are top notch. Promises takes the evening to a close with Sweet and Low in a sure-fire fashion, where it all just feels like a big, inspired jam session.

Not only were the stars really out, but they also aligned for this evening at the Aragon. Essential addition to any Fugazi collection, this entry delivers the band's live experience at its most enjoyable and then some. Strong performances, great flows, a tangible atmosphere - it's all here. And with a pleasing enough sound and a steady quality throughout it's very easy to rank this as one of the finest entries on FLS I've encountered so far.

The set list:

Video footage courtesy Eyesore Video Channel

Fugazi, Capitol Theater, Olympia, WA USA 5/8/1993 (FLS #0540)

I had high hopes for this one, as several pieces appeared to fall into place, leading me to believe that this just might be a recording and show for the ages, one to cherish and to enjoy again and again. 

Set at the Capitol Theater venue in Olympia, Washington, a band-favorite where Fugazi would play certainly one of their most iconic gigs some two years later, this May 8, 1993 recording simply sounds great and features a promising set list that even includes a guest appearance by Stan The Man entertaining the audience with a bit of a House of the Rising Sun (The Animals) & (Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay (Otis Redding) improv to kick things off in rather remarkable fashion.

Ian’s familiar, comforting drawn-out guitar chords heralding Turnover follow suit and once this song hits, the band is off to an upbeat, high gear start with the next couple of songs. However, soon after, both Public Witness Program and Two Beats Off get cut short due to some lengthy altercations with a group of neonazi’s (or “Romans”) Sieg Heiling the band and generally disrupting the show. 

There’s still an attempt to salvage and salve the situation at hand, yet Ian’s words leading into Long Division are quite foreboding, “this is a song called Long Division, and it’s about separation, a lot of people thought it was about math but it’s really not, it’s about separation, because sometimes in the world there are people that you do need to separate from, and there’s nothing wrong with that, because otherwise they just drag you down, and so forth.”

The poor company, or “Roman Emperors” are shown the door right after, which causes another lenghty interruption. Interestingly though, the following selection of songs (Blueprint into Facet Squared into Rend It) fits the turn of events quite well and most appropriately appears to convey the mood and position of the band on a number of related topics.

As such, this recording is an interesting entry and addition to the series, showcasing a solid performance once it finally does get going (23 Beats Off transitioning smoothly into Exit Only is a treat, as is the little “polka” improv into Repeater), yet probably not one I will revisit frequently because of the overly disruptive nature of the show.

Further note that a lyrical flub pretty much spoils Last Chance for a Slow Dance, and that the audio recording presented here is incomplete as can be concluded from the video footage (with generally poor audio) of the complete show that surprisingly exists (see insert above). Listening to this bootleg, it peters out eventually, and as such lacks the memorable jam and breakdown of Promises as well as set closer Sweet and Low in its entirety. Alas.

The recording documents 21 songs (Promises being incomplete as mentioned), taken off of In on the Kill Taker (7) which was slated for release by the end of June 1993, equally drawing from the Steady Diet of Nothing (5) and Repeater (5) album, as well as - to a lesser extent - from the 3 Songs seven-inch (1), Margin Walker EP (1) and 7 Songs debut EP (2).

The set list:

Photo © William Bradley

Fugazi, National Guard Armory, Columbia, SC USA 2/7/1993 (FLS #0494)

(Words below submitted by Antti Väärälä)

Fugazi in Columbia, South Carolina to test-drive new tracks and just to have good old fun. This is the band's third visit to the city, and they would return once more on the tumultuous tour of 1996. This show takes place at National Guard Armory of Columbia, which is located adjacent to South Carolina University in the city. The armory was established in 1905, so this is another historic locale for the band to tick off the list. Closed from official use in 1964 as a new, modern facility took over the duties, the armory remained a place to host events.

Ian opens the evening with a long disclosure about the band's day. The venue had a few surprises for them upon arrival, and they were forced to improvise some security measures. As in flipped tables forming a makeshift barricade. Both Ian and Guy speak up in a serious tone to make the audience understand the unstable situation. Let's see how the events unfold.

The recording sounds quite good, and its best feature is how well it emphasizes the band's power and the feel of the room. No element drowns out and the mix balance is okay. Joe's bass has a nice, dirty clang and ring to it. Brendan's snare cuts through, and the interplay between the kick drum and bass is prominent. At first the overall sound feels muddy and a tad distant. This is possibly because of the room's character, not being built for rock concerts. In the end the sound turns out quite pleasing as the recording draws you in with its energy.

First part of the show finds the band taking pauses between songs to warn the crowd about the awkward barricade. The performances are good, but feel separated and a bit careful occasionally. The security issue must have been a major disruption at first. Still, we get a magnificent rendition of Joe #1 as the opener, and an atmospheric flow to Exit Only. The bass rumbles in a beautiful way and both guitars hit some nice variations.

Stacks is an interesting listen not only because of the song's fantastic angularity, and how it always sounds so inspired. This time Joe steps in to do the backing vocal for the chorus. Guy mentions earlier that he has "a little voice" so Joe gives him a breather. Very convincing performance by him and the whole group.

Burning is a great addition to this entry's tracklist. The atmosphere is sparkling, and Guy performs his vocals with a peculiar feeling. It seems he's under the weather, but it gives his voice an interesting edge and he goes all out regardless. Burning was a bit of a rarity on the winter 93 tour with only four performances, so it's always a delight.

The whole mid-set row of oldies is a show highlight, as the energy is high and atmosphere through the roof. Guy's nasty grit in his voice makes Margin Walker rock that much harder. And check out the screaming singalong from a thrilled patron on Bad Mouth. Exhilarating!

The final trio of tunes is a splendid bunch of anthems. Requests for Long Division can be heard during the show and the song gets an ecstatic response when Ian finally starts the riff. Guy then leads a stirring Rend It to close the show. He may have some troubles this evening, but it doesn't affect the powerful performance at all.

The show pretty much flies by, clocking in just over an hour. There's a hard curfew approaching and the band hits a "fucking bullmarch" as Guy puts it. Consequently the banter is scarce but good-humoured throughout. The audience is ardent, and rather cooperative about the barricade situation, at least after a few grave warnings. Even the crowd surfing seems to keep at bay. And once the sound draws the listener in, this turns into a very interesting and an easily recommendable entry. 

The set list:

Photo © Geoffrey Nicholson

Fugazi, Blind Mellons, Buffalo NY 9/6/1993 (FLS #0578)

Performing in another rather intimate setting, in the presence of some 1200 patrons and headlining a remarkable bill with incredible Dischord affiliates Slant 6 and local hardcore heroes Snapcase, this one must have been right in Fugazi’s wheelhouse.

And since we can consider ourselves damn lucky that the recording presented here is complete, I am bumping this one up to the “highlight” category.

For further details and a spot-on write-up, check out the submission by fellow Fugazi enthusiast Antti Väärälä below.

Oh, and Brendan’s tom-toms sound phenomenal!

“Fugazi hits Buffalo for the second and last time, playing a gig at Blind Mellons. Judging by comments on the internet, the venue was a beloved place, holding many legendary shows in the 90's. Apparently the setting is quite unusual this particular evening, as Ian mentions in the opening remarks that the show was moved indoors due to the weather. The recording conveys this intimate and close quarters atmosphere very well. Ian's chat is casual and funny as usual and afterwards we dive straight into a fiery Smallbox Champion. 

As for the sound, there's some mix settling needed during the first few tracks, but after everything's set, this turns out to be a delightfully good recording overall. The low end is nicely in balance with everything and Brendan's drums sound powerful and clear. 

Vocals cut through just right. This is a strong tape throughout, representing the fiery level the band perform at during these times. 

The band has to take a long interlude right away to do some rather cooperative crowd control, but something else happens when they start Facet Squared and the whole show grinds to a halt. As you can read from the show's info, some actual renovation work is needed momentarily. It's amusing to try to listen to the proceedings, and of course some despicable comments are heard too, culminating in a downright barbaric ‘Who gives a shit if people get impaled?’ from someone. As you would guess, Ian counters appropriately. Eventually the band resumes Facet Squared but admittedly the performance now feels like they are on their toes, watchful for any more moving parts causing danger. 

Apparently everything seems to be in order and the band can raise the energy level to amazing heights. A few of the highlights include an inspired Stacks and a very brisky Repeater where Guy's guitar squeals extra nastily. 

The band pushes on with fire all the way through the evening. Apparently there's a problem with Ian's guitar rig, and while things get fixed, the rest of the band play a cool, shortened, jam version of Fell, Destroyed. Highlights follow, as Promises and Exit Only form a strong, seamless duo to finish the main set. 

Once again the encores take the cake. This time the band starts easy with Guy's Last Chance For A Slow Dance. To contrast this, Great Cop is as relentless as it ever gets. But all the weight comes down in the finale as Glue Man is the insane set closer. The performance is nothing short of crushing. As is basically always the case with Glue Man, the live renditions must be heard to be believed. This evening's version easily proves that point once again. 

Quote about the show found on the internet: 

‘Saw Fugazi there in 1993, memorable show as it was pretty overbooked, a railing fell and someone hit their head against the speakers while in the pit, also they had a peppers and sausage vendor across from a PETA booth. The thick fog created from people's body heat as they exited the venue after the show is a visual I've never forgotten.’ 

Another excellent entry from the amazing tour for the In On The Killtaker album. Recommended!”

The set list:

Photo © by Terry Poole

Fugazi, Hollywood Theater, Norman, Oklahoma USA 4/17/1993 (FLS #0522)

Some two weeks into their two month long tour across the United States in the spring of 1993, and coming off of notable shows in e.g. San Antonio, Texas or Dallas, Texas (i.e. one of few shows on Ian’s birthday) on April 14 and 16 respectively, Fugazi played a one-off show in the state of Oklahoma on April 17, 1993, the only time ever the band played the city of Norman, which appears right “within Tornado Alley, the region of the United States where tornadic activity is most frequent.”

This complete recording documents the band once more in full stride, performing well and performing at a good clip. Presented are 22 live tracks in total, providing a varied mix and taken off of In on the Kill Taker which would not see its release until some two months down the line on June 30 (5), Steady Diet of Nothing (5), Repeater (7), Margin Walker EP (2) and 7 Songs or S/T debut EP (3). Note that this includes the Kill Taker rarity 23 Beats Off, which merges flawlessly into Exit Only here, as well as rather atypical encore with late set appearances of Styrofoam, Nice New Outfit and Suggestion to close out the night.

The band appears to be in a good, tongue-in-cheek mood as well, and finds itself in front of a lively audience of some 1000 patrons. Banter is entertaining and I.A. relates to the peculiar movie theater and wonky stage setting (note that Cassavetes will make a most suitable appearance), incorrect song requests (”Big Mouth”), the sort of “playground scene” that unfolds in the room, BMX legend and friend of the band Mat Hoffman, the Norman thrift store, sending a man to Mars and even includes Ian and Guy taking a stab at some Space Oddity or Rocket Man lines.

While the overall audio quality appears a tad high on treble and the vocals sound slightly distant, it certainly is really good and very enjoyable.

Incredibly, near-complete footage of this entire performance exists and is available on YouTube. Even though the ending of the gig is missing in the video, it still captures part of the scene depicted below by a certain James Means JR, which played out during the breakdown of Suggestion (cf. around the 1:26:44 mark):

“I remember this was in an old movie theater with all the seats still there so you had to stand in between those rows of seats. The stage seemed make shift and would wobble some what. At one point this person went up and gave Ian a big hug during the show and they fell down and the person just held onto Ian for a long time for some reason. Guy in the band had to tell security that it was ok and not to intervene. They talked a while and then the person let go. Fugazi continues the show. Wow!”

Note that the footage also shows Ian using his guitar pickup instead of his microphone to deliver some of the lyrics to Suggestion (cf. 1:23:53 mark).

The set list:

Show flyer courtesy of Unknown

Fugazi, Florida Theater, Gainesville, FL USA 2/17/1993 (FLS #0503)

(Words below submitted by Antti Väärälä)

“Fugazi in Gainesville, FL, a few weeks into touring in the winter of 1993, playing the final show in the state on that particular leg. One of the many, many dates that year they did with Shudder To Think, and I like to think that this was a very influential time for Fugazi. Both bands started experimenting with their music a lot more, and I would imagine both sides encouraging each other to reach higher. As for the city of Gainesville, Fugazi performed there 5 times over the years, in 4 different venues. 

Ian makes his familiar announcement pleading people not to stage dive, and off they go into a strong performance of Turnover. We hear a couple of tracks from the then still upcoming album In On The Killtaker and the crowd receive them with delightful enthusiasm. Guy's Nice New Outfit is a performance highlight here for me. 

The sound is a pretty good soundboard, quite typical of the era. What the recording lacks in detail, it splendidly makes up for in displaying the band's power and the overall feel of the room. No problems mix-wise, and the soundboard effects are smoothly added. All in all, this is a nice, steady tape throughout. 

Guy is a bit under the weather with a sore throat this evening, but it actually gives his vocals a cool, gritty kind of filter. It provides the tender parts in Rend It and Give Me The Cure a unique vulnerability, which works great. 

There's no problems from the audience, but still the band have quite a few pauses, maybe to give Guy a breather. As a big fan of the "Fugazi flow" this tape was a bit of a disappointment in that regard, but luckily the performances are strong throught. KYEO, Returning The Screw, Cassavettes, all these are energetic and powerful highlights. 

There's some weird stuff going on during the encore, and in an ironic twist there's some jolly fella yelling stuff that basically sours the mood for the remainder of the gig. Suggestion ends the evening, almost reaching the 10 minute mark, and this has to be the weirdest and most destructive performance of the song I've heard so far. It certainly feels like a reaction against the obnoxious activity, and is definitely a highlight. 

Very good, recommendable tape with the band rolling onwards on the US soil, surviving Guy's throat problems in a triumph, presenting new tracks with confidence and plowing through older material with fire. As a nice bonus, there are a few rare tracks thrown in - looking at you KYEO and Bulldog Front.”

The set list:

Fugazi @ Sylvan Theater, Washington, DC USA, 8/07/93