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FROM THE MIND OF ADI (#3) - A Look Back: Fugazi (1995)
A Look Back: Exploring the rich history of live music in Austin.
Today’s topic: Fugazi @ Liberty Lunch in 1995.
Growing up, I had a fair share of musical acts recommended to me, primarily via two personal sources, besides the staple radio and television suggestions. My father entrusted me with some of his finest tapes – quite a wide variety – Black Sabbath, Kraftwerk, Simon & Garfunkel, and The Police. My cousins’ collections turned out to be a useful secondary supply and would lead to the hair metal mania that duly took over the Mind of Adi until the early 90s. Yes, thank them for the RATT in me. All was not lost, though – I would continue to find time for cheese-free acts like INXS, U2, Crowded House, and Midnight Oil. Still, there was work to be done, more musical education to be acquired, and more live concerts to attend...all of which would change my life.
By 1995, I was a novice freshman at UT, plowed over by mornings of Math and Economics, but I did salvage some education thanks to (legendary to me and since moved on) Professor Ron Emoff and my beloved “History of Rock ‘N’ Roll” class in the fall of that year. The course was a (pleasant) shock for many reasons – being “lectured” on Buddy Holly, The Beatles, and Madonna in a school setting was surprising enough, the comfortable atmosphere in a 300-plus student classroom was a bonus, and relaxed sermons offered up weekly by the always soda-sipping, oft-rambling Emoff made this the era when Adi’s musical education truly began its long, endless journey. The great odyssey of Adi’s musical enrichment thus began.
Needless to say, all the “cool” people were in this class, and I made friends left and right (literally) – Eric, on the left, went to witness local acts like Funland and Retarded Elf with me while Kelly, on the right, was game for the massive Fugazi show on the horizon. I was barely finding my way to my dorm from campus on a daily basis still, so Kelly’s knowledge of Austin and her offer of a car-ride to and from the concert was a welcome boon. I bought our Fugazi tickets well in advance and we proceeded to the show after a jolt of caffeine courtesy of Insomniac (now known as Metro Espresso Bar) on The Drag.
The concert itself was quite an experience; we stood in line for many hours if my memory serves me right. We expressed our admiration for Fugazi’s D-I-Y practices and policies that were often unheard of back in the day – I mean, $5 for a ticket to see a bunch of legends – heck, I guess it’s still unheard of! Plus Dischord Records was one of the few labels that actually stood its ground to drive CD prices down for mere mortals like us. We discussed purchasing classic records like Repeater +3 Songs and In On the Kill Taker at Best Buy for under 10 bucks. And we bemoaned the fact that we had no mind-altering substances and we were both in the U-21 class of society.
Still, we withstood Blonde Redhead’s opening assault (which was quite brilliant), and finally our heroes from D.C. were on stage to ensure that Firehouse and Warrant never made it to my CD player again. Having consumed a steady diet of Fugazi recordings leading up to the gig, Kelly and I instantly immersed into the live set and, yes, into the mosh pit (ironically, and most likely, to the band members chagrin). There was no stopping us this November evening – Fugazi had brought their A-game, churrning out hardcore punk ‘n’ roll of the highest caliber, and we caved in willingly to the splendor of their raucous output.
To add to it all, Kelly lost one of her shoes in the pit so we had to stay behind well into the morning hours until the entire crowd dispersed onto 2nd Street, exhilarated and satisfied. And I was home soon enough, content with memories of the magical evening and even at ease with the fact that I forgot to purchase a Fugazi shirt, which was just fine and probably in alignment with the band’s philosophy.
Live footage of Fugazi performing "Turnover," live in 1991. The track appears on Fugazi's 1990 release Repeater + 3 Songs (Dischord).