Fugazi start their fall 1993 Canadian stint in the vibrant Ontario town of Guelph. This is their second time playing the city, returning after almost exactly 4 years later. And judging by the feelgood atmosphere of this recording, I'm sure they wanted to come back many times. Ian starts the show with the usual, friendly opening remarks and then launches into the always anthemic Reclamation.

Sound-wise this tape is ok, but a bit muddier than usual regarding the era. The drums do sound powerful and detailed, and especially the toms and snare are quite pleasing. Steady quality throughout, and the added effects are very tasteful. As muddy as the tape sounds, what's good is that the mix is very nicely in balance. So you can grab your EQ, hit up some high frequencies, crank the volume and it gets better, at least to my ears.

The band is allowed to fire away with a great flow of tracks. Exit Only sounds exceptionally riveting here, as Guy does some subtle, enjoyable changes to the vocal delivery. The flow doesn't really stop until there's something going on after Greed. Not much crowd control is needed, but I think you can hear Ian tell somebody to behave themselves. Smallpox Champion then follows with the same power, but there's some guitar tuning issues that slightly disturb the performance.

A few highlights to mention are a deliciously heavy Instrument and a very inspired take on Turnover where the whole band seems to radiate the pure joy of playing music, led by Brendan's driving beats.

Later in the set we can listen to Ian disclose the band's troubles while crossing the border from US to Canada. As disgruntled as the band must have been due to these mishaps, they channel this into strong performances as the main set draws to a close. Rend It feels both very gentle with Guy's toned down verses, and really explosive as the band hits the chorus. To follow the intensity, Repeater rattles and rumbles as hard as ever.
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The encore starts with a very cool jam by Brendan. This is passed on to the performance of Long Division where the drums are a step more technical, relaxed and jazzy even. With the dynamic playing by the whole band this is one of the show's highlights for me.

To top off a very enjoyable recording, Shut The Door gets a downright mighty performance. Someone shouts a request for the song, and Ian starts the riff right that second, making it seem very much that he took the request to heart. The band joins in for an exceptionally powerful rendition that includes one of the most nightmarish jam sections I've heard so far. Guy uses his tuner minimalistically, but to a great dramatic effect. Ian and Joe are equally spacey and weird with their noises and Brendan keeps the pulse going. The effects from the soundboard add perfectly to all the pandemonium. Totally amazing performance. And to contrast this with an absolutely impeccable version of Sweet and Low must have left the audience most positively stupefied, as I know it left me.

All in all, this is a very enjoyable recording that I can easily recommend. The sound is a bit underwhelming but there are many good things to make up for it. The crowd is cool the whole evening and this shows in the band's flow and strong, all-out performances with more than a few highlights.

Amazing night. Reliving a pivotal moment for me as a young grade 9 student. Fugazi was so instrumental in my development and social consciousness.
The Live Series is sooo good. $5 a show is a no brainer.
Thanks for this

This was one of the greatest nights of my life.
That's me ruining the beginning of Rend It, as Guy chose to sing the line "why don't you come to my house" softly (likely in anticipation of some buffoon like me shouting it at the top of their lungs). Embarrassing yet awesome.
Regardless, unforgettable night.

aaron got to play w/ the band he brought to town four years earlier...