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 below.

Fugazi in Columbia, Missouri, coming off a two-night stint in St. Louis touring the In On The Killtaker album. The band played the small but significant town of Columbia thrice over the years, visiting the same venue, Blue Note, each time. Ian makes his usual introduction and pleas for no stage diving. The club had offered the band a barricade and in true Fugazi fashion they obviously declined...let's see what happens.

This recording sounds very good overall, a tad brighter than what's usual for the era. The guitars tend to overpower the vocals a bit but they still remain audible. Brendan's set sounds great but the bass could be more prominent in my opinion.

The evening starts with the major chords of Reprovisional. The song turns momentarily into Road Runner by the Modern Lovers, as it did the previous night in St. Louis. Ian continues straight to Facet Squared which ends with somebody stage diving and getting kicked out, all accompanied with some funny remarks about Lollapalooza.

Greed gets a fiery performance but ends violently in an ugly way. You can try to make something out of the chaotic situation where someone apparently has shoved Ian's microphone into his face, causing what I speculate is a wrestling match, which in turn leads to Ian's guitar getting roughed up, all amusingly culminating in Ian singing Hard Day's Night to this insane new guitar tuning. Brendan, Joe and Guy jam on a very cool rhythmic idea while Ian gets things together after the initial hullaballoo.

The band continue the set the best they can but apparently all the hassle causes a slight lack of focus during Instrument and Sieve-Fisted Find. Luckily the flow stays uncut and an epic Reclamation crushes down to redeem. Promises is allowed to be performed undisturbed and the band go into a great jam during the mid-section.
---

---
Give Me The Cure is on fire and flows into a dynamic Waiting Room. Luckily the set can flow freely even though the general atmosphere of the show feels weird. There's some venomous banter during the interludes and especially the explosive main set finisher Great Cop feels straight up like an attack towards some bad apples in the room.

The band gets back on stage and Ian's mellow chat feels like a final attempt to unite the room for an encore that can be enjoyed by everyone. Luckily it all works out and the rest of the evening is seemingly scuff-free.

A very rare performance for the time (a mere four plays during the fall 93 US leg), Stacks totally hits a homerun with Brendan's amazing performance. This excitement passes on to the following Cassavetes which feels extra bouncy here. All the energy left is poured into Repeater where you can hear some great singalong during the bridge.

One of this tape's absolute highlights is the extended and hypnotic performance of Sweet and Low with a noisy, jarring jam at the end. The added soundboard effects shake some special spice over what's already a magical moment.

So, many things make this another recommendable entry from the tour. The inclusion of Stacks, a magnificent Sweet and Low, many great performances, and a good, steady sound throughout. The crazy events don't overwhelm the listening experience but instead are just enough to keep you on your toes, and simply showcase the rowdy atmosphere marring some of these gigs. In fact, to me this is one of those tapes where the music and the senseless shenanigans are oddly in balance.

Walken's Syndrome, Stacks and Cassavetes sound like highlights of this show to me.

Of all the times I've seen Fugazi, this was my favorite show. In On The Kill Taker tour. Prozac Memory opened. I was like the third person in the door. Snagged front balcony seats. It was a magical evening I'll always remember, in no small part because I left for college the next day (had skipped college orientation to make the show). Really looking forward to having this recording released!