I promise I’m almost done with my recent binge of punk/hardcore/straight-edge posts, but I have to share (at least) one more. I found this vid today for the first time.
Fugazi in 1991, the same year I saw them in Nashville, playing at what appears to be a rally ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE WHITE HOUSE. Love it. Where are the bands that matter today? There’s something more powerful about an underground band challenging the government than when pop bands do it (see Green Day, Dixie Chicks, etc.)
I went to see Fugazi wearing a tshirt, ripped blue jeans, and combat boots. I left with one leg of those blue jeans completely missing from the thigh down, no shirt, and the boots. I got to see my buddy Nathan go swinging into a crowd of skinheads. He took a beating (left with a boot print on his chest), but it was darn funny.
This vid looks more like the show I was at. I actually thought it WAS my show at first – very similar set up. I’m remember thinking how cool it was to be onstage beside Ian MacKaye, even if it was just for a few seconds before diving head first into the melee again. It’s a great memory! I felt like I was a part of something serious and real. The kind of stuff the regular kids had no idea about. No worries mom and dad, I made home alright that night.