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While both of these Fugazi recordings do not offer anything really out of the ordinary in my opinion, they do make up a nice little collection and document solid, joyous performances delivered in very good audio quality that are fun to listen to, particularly since you get a good sense of the enthusiasm of the audience as well.
The recording of the first night showcases some 18 live cuts and draws mainly from Red Medicine (8) and In on the Kill Taker (6) with little of their earlier work mixed in, e.g. Repeater (3) and the 7 Songs debut EP (1).
My highlights here include the whole midsection from Target up to Blueprint which features a bit of an alternate ending to Suggestion (“there’s your funky breakdown boy”) as well as the closing trio of songs which features another great version of Shut the Door (arguably tagged Phantom of the Opera).
The recording of the second night presents a mere 16 live songs, almost half of which off of Red Medicine (7) while the rest of the set list does bring some more variation as well as some early live staples. In on the Kill Taker (3), Repeater (2), the 3 Songs seven-inch (1) and Margin Walker EP (3) are the sources of choice here.
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This (second) recording is the one that I probably favor slightly given the general loose feel to the instrumental play and little improvs here and there. It provides a bit of a peculiar set list as well (dubbed “pogoish and backwards” by Ian for the occasion) with Long Distance Runner unusually yet successfully opening the show and transitioning smoothly into Turnover and another high-energy stretch of songs (much like the previous night).
My highlights include an incinerating version of Public Witness Program, followed by a great rendition of Song #1. Although Birthday Pony is not one of my favorites, it works well here, especially in combination with a notable performance of Rend It. Promises, again, is monumental, and a fierce rendering of Do You Like Me as an unexpected set list closer goes out with a BANG!
Note that the San Francisco Weekly published an interesting article titled “Margin Walkers” a couple of days prior to these shows, read it via https://www.sfweekly.com/music/margin-walkers/).
2 and a half years after their last appearance, Fugazi returns to the SF Bay Area and plays a much smaller room for a two night stand, a disco with a balcony, and high stage platform... the venue was a popular gay disco in the 70's and 80's, and had briefly been known as the I-Beam South when the Butthole Surfers played there in late 80's. Other touring bands that I saw that play this room in mid 90's included Cheap Trick, Agent Orange, Sublime, Insane Clown Posse and The Meatmen.
1. | Intro | |
2. | Smallpox Champion | |
3. | Styrofoam | |
4. | Do You Like Me | |
5. | Interlude 1 | |
6. | Great Cop | |
7. | Rend It | |
8. | Interlude 2 | |
9. | Birthday Pony | |
10. | Target | |
11. | Suggestion | |
12. | Interlude 3 | |
13. | Forensic Scene | |
14. | By You | |
15. | Instrument | |
16. | Blueprint | |
17. | Bed For The Scraping | |
18. | Encore 1 | |
19. | Back to Base | |
20. | Cassavetes | |
21. | Shut the Door | |
22. | Fell, Destroyed | |
23. | Sweet and Low | |
24. | Outro |
Please Note: Available recordings have been mastered to correct for volume shifts, drop outs, etc. but some sonic anomalies will still exist, especially early in the set when the mix is being settled. The band has rated each show for sound quality and set the general price of a download at $5 per show. If you have a different price in mind feel free to utilize the alternative pricing option.
Some two and a half years after having played the Fort Mason Pier in San Francisco on May 1, 1993 (listen as Ian references this event, location and its abominable acoustics during the night one introductory remarks), Fugazi would return to the city for a two-night run in the fall of 1995, more than halfway into their US/Canada tour.
The venue of choice turned out to be the Trocadero Transfer, “an after hours dance club in San Francisco from its opening in December 1977 to the late 1990s” (source: Wikipedia) which not only hosted numerous bands, but also provided a space for many DJs, Disco parties, Clubs or Nostalgia parties. Dance space features included “a narrow metal spiral staircase [also known as The Crystal Staircase] with clear plastic arms that went up from the dance floor to the balcony above where people could watch the dancers below” and “[h]anging from the ceiling at the center of the dance floor, there was the hypnotic mirror ball cluster—about a dozen mirror balls of various sizes which continually spun around and were the focus of the dance floor.”
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