By Stephen George
Whenever Fugazi comes to town, everyone goes to see them. It’s true. Ask the person sitting next to you, and I’ll bet he or she was in attendance last Thursday. For nearly two hours, the band devastated its audience with their spastic and abrasive yet strangely melodic and chilling brand of Washington D.C. rock and roll.
The band opened with “Cashout,” the first song on their latest record, “The Argument.” As heads bobbed up and down throughout the estimated crowd of 1600, the band roared through several more from “The Argument,” as well as a healthy mix of songs from most of their eight previous full-lengths. Between songs, guitarists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto joked with the crowd, talked international politics and the Bush administration, and even chastised a fan for stage diving, as Fugazi does not allow “moshing” or any form of violent behavior at their shows. The rhythm section, comprised of drummer Brendan Canty and bassist Joe Lally, both dressed in all black, was positioned behind the two frontmen and, although they weren’t as animated as MacKaye and Picciotto, laid down a thick and driving backbone for every song.
As the set neared the halfway point, Fugazi broke into perhaps their most popular song, the one that many who were there came to see, “Waiting Room,” from their first record. It’s a catchy song, perchance a bit more pop-oriented than most of their songs, and the obligatory collective audience dance began. The whole place was jumping up and down as many sang and screamed along with each chorus.
The crowd noise reached a chaotic pitch as Fugazi walked off stage. Everyone wanted an encore, and in typical form, the band took about a three-minute break before returning to blaze through three more songs with unmatched intensity.
Louisville natives Rachel’s opened the show. For the uninitiated, Rachel’s are a classical ensemble. Where else but here could one see Fugazi play with classical performers? Oh, and by the way, Rachel’s was extraordinary. Their variety of brooding and ominous cello, violin, piano, percussion (and the list goes on) music was especially unique and poignant on this occasion.
Fellow Louisvillians Shipping News followed. They’re a really good band, but they seemed a little off at the show. Nonetheless, they rocked pretty hard through two songs from “Very Soon and In Pleasant Company,” their second full-length, as well as two unreleased songs and a brand new one that will hopefully be included on their next record.
But it’s certainly hard to shine when your band is opening for Fugazi. They are the greatest band you may have never heard of for several reasons. First, their music is incredible and unique, as we briefly touched on before. Second, their shows never cost more than six or seven dollars a ticket. Who can ask for a better deal than that? Third, although major corporate record labels have hurled loads of money at them, they remain, after fifteen years as a band, loyal to the same independent label where they began, Dischord Records, proudly owned by Fugazi’s MacKaye. And finally, Fugazi refuses to sell any merchandise save records and CDs. It’s all about the music, and with a band like Fugazi, the music is all you really need.
