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Styrofoam starts the show with high energy, but is suddenly stopped due to stage diving. There's some unfriendly banter to counter the few thugs causing trouble. Even Joe joins in trying to talk some sense into them. In the end no refunds are necessary even though the frustration in the air has been palpable. The show picks up just as energetic, and the band is now allowed to go into a great flow. With the balanced mix it's a pleasure to sink into the music. The whole flow is an immediate highlight full of snappy punk rock delivered with force.
Interlude 1 finds Ian going into a long, casual chat with the crowd, as if to start over after the prickly altercation with the few bullies earlier. It's a fun and heartwarming listen, as no taunts are tossed anymore.
Runaway Return picks up the music and everyone is clearly enjoying themselves now. What we get is a fantastic flow of tracks culminating in the anthemic duo of Long Division and Blueprint. The former is once again a show highlight with Brendan's jazzy, yet driving performance.
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In an amusing move the band play the first three tracks from the 7 Songs EP in a row. The fiery renditions are a total joy to hear. Both Bulldog Front and Bad Mouth are also tour rarities with only a handful of plays each. The rhythm section of Brendan and Joe creates a wonderful rattle here.
Returning The Screw is a dynamic highlight during the last four song push towards the encore break. Guy does a slight alernation to his part and accompanied with the strong playing by the whole band, it gives tonight's rendition a nice unique feel.
Guy, Brendan and Joe go into a sweet jam to start the encore, and the atmosphere feels very special. Facet Squared gets a unique, brooding intro as Guy and Ian raise the tempo gradually, and Joe and Brendan attack the riffs with confidence. To top off a great show, Repeater wrings the last drops of sweat off the undoubtedly happy attendees, and it's a total delight once again to listen to the singalong during the bridge. Sweet and Low is itself - an extended, organic jam, riveting in nature and somber in atmosphere.
Here's a couple of quotes from a review of the show posted in Ottawa University's newspaper The Charlatan:
"As a whole, the experience of Fugazi playing was like a precisely controlled sonic boom."
"The band barely stopped for a breath between songs, keeping their performance intense until the end of their 75-minute set."
https://archive.org/details/thecharleton23carl/page/89/mode/1up
These quotes put it really well, and the show makes for another great entry for the In On The Killtaker tour. It's easy to recommend this for the pleasing sound, strong performances and splendid flows.
1. | Intro | |
2. | Styrofoam | |
3. | Latin Roots | |
4. | Great Cop | |
5. | Walken's Syndrome | |
6. | Merchandise | |
7. | Interlude 1 | |
8. | Runaway Return | |
9. | Instrument | |
10. | Cassavetes | |
11. | Long Division | |
12. | Blueprint | |
13. | Interlude 2 | |
14. | Waiting Room | |
15. | Bulldog Front | |
16. | Bad Mouth | |
17. | Interlude 3 | |
18. | Smallpox Champion | |
19. | Returning The Screw | |
20. | Reprovisional | |
21. | Reclamation | |
22. | Encore | |
23. | Facet Squared | |
24. | Rend It | |
25. | Repeater | |
26. | Sweet and Low | |
27. | 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.
Fugazi continues the fall 1993 trek of Canada in the city of Ottawa. This show was played at the Carleton University campus. Tonight's venue is Porter Hall, a popular locale for concerts until it was converted to a lecture hall in the 2000's. The popularity of the venue peaked in the 1990's with the alternative and punk scenes, as bands such as Tool, The Ramones, Iggy Pop and Soundgarden played shows there.
Ian opens the show in his warm style talking about troubles with nourishment on tour. Finding a good place to eat on the go isn't quite as simple as one would think. Still, this day in Ottawa they are well fed and ready to put on a rocking show.
The recording sounds very good right from the get-go. Guitars sound heavy, the drums huge, Joe's bass cuts through and the vocals have proper presence. There's a slight overall muddiness when compared to some of the best entries from the era, but overall this is an easy one to enjoy.
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