Fugazi : A Life Changer

It was 1991. We were both in High School and had a fair amount of experience in the punk / hardcore world. Living in Northern Virgina we had made several evening trips out to the 9:30 Club in Washington DC to see Bad Religion and a few other larger bands. We had even seen Fugazi a few times, crammed in the back of Sanctuary Theater or Wilson Center. At one of these shows I grabbed a flyer for what was being called the 'Punk Percussion Protest' which was to take place on the White House lawn.

Yes, I said the White House lawn. It seems impossible in this post 9/11 world, but back in the 80's and 90's the area around the White House was fairly open. You could drive right by the front and see the large number of protest groups who were essentially camped there. For this particular show the group Positive Force has gained permission to set up their 'percussion' protest group (a large amount of punks banging on old drums, pots and pans, etc) and a small stage. The reason for the protest? The first Gulf War.

It's hard to describe the energy on the stage during that show. It was snowing for part of the set, freezing rain for the rest. Being in the very front was unreal. The drums were spraying water with each hit and the amps were draped in plastic, guitars slick with water. Yet, with all this bad weather just the IDEA that Fugazi would stop playing was impossible. That's why they are one of the best of all time. The message and the music were one in the same...