This recording documents Fugazi’s 1999 passage at the Capitol Theater, Olympia in the state of Washington, “by far one of Olympia’s most treasured landmarks and finest structures” and a recurring or go-to venue for the band (see photo insert by Fugazi above).

According to the Capitol Theater website,

“The Capitol Theater, built in 1924, was the crowning glory of a succession of local theaters owned by Zabel. The two commissioned local architect Joseph Wohleb to design a ‘monument to amusement lovers in Olympia,’ a luxurious 'picture palace’ that was designed for orchestras to accompany silent films.On October 7th, 1924, the Capitol Theater opened its doors to an audience of over one thousand people who came for an evening of festive entertainment including organ music, song, dance, movies, and community networking. For the next half century, the Zabel family operated the theater. The theater was used primarily as a film venue and as a home for vaudeville. In the early days, many films premiered here, including Tugboat Annie, Ring of Fire, and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, as well as many performances by famous musicians and singers like Judy Garland.

Built in the Mission Revival/Beaux Arts style, the building features glazed terra cotta and circular leaded art glass insets depicting the Greek Muses designed by Northwest glass artist Raymond Nyson. Terra cotta masks designed by Polish illustrator and mask maker W.T. Benda flank the backlit stained glass. The interior above the massive stage was crested with a large 'C’ which you can still see today, and also depicted the Pegasus you see on the exterior of the theater along with golden angels and horns. Unfortunately, a fire in 1937 caused extensive damage, and much of the interior was removed and replaced.

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The theater originally had two manual Smith theater pipe organs installed in 1926. According to records, the organs were moved to Shoreline, WA in 1959 and were eventually broken up for parts and sold to a man in Twin Falls, ID. On each side of the stage are two niches which originally displayed three-dimensional replicas of the State Capitol Building. Currently, we fondly call these niches 'The Gardens’, and they are still used today to display works by local artists.

In November of 2009, Mayor Doug Mah, the City of Olympia, and the Olympia Heritage Commission presented the Olympia Film Society with the Historic Preservation Award for replacing a rusty and dilapidated 1940s marquee with a newly fabricated replica of one of the Capitol Theater’s original 1930s marquees, simultaneously revealing and relighting the stained glass muses that had remained hidden for over 70 years. Today, as you pass by, you may still be able to catch a glimpse of what the theater was like in its younger days!”

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This performance showcases their final out of four live gigs at the theater (cf. 1991, 1993, 1995, 1999) with the October 29, 1995 show being particularly notable - according to the sidenotes, it includes the iconic version of Shut the Door that appears in the Fugazi documentary Instrument.

Basically, this is a fun recording, though marred to some extent by occasional sonic discrepancies. Case in point, Brendan’s kick drum sounds muddled on the first two songs, and while the performance of both Burning and Arpeggiator in itself is ace, with Jerry Busher providing extra punch on percussion, some distortion can be perceived, the beginning of Arpeggiator missing as well.

Note the only KYEO performance on this leg of the tour, it’s a bit rough around the edges but convincing nevertheless, and Public Witness Program following suit makes for an ardent one-two punch.

Presented are 22 songs total, taken off of the 7 Songs or debut EP (2), Margin Walker EP (1), Repeater (1), Steady Diet of Nothing (3), In on the Kill Taker (3), Red Medicine (2), End Hits (8) and Furniture EP (2) respectively.