This gig, set at the former 180 Club in Hagerstown, Maryland, kicks off the 1998 Fugazi tour. It is the first out of 42 concerts the band played that year.

The recording sounds great (note some occasional annoying reverb) and captures an entertaining performance, although with few verbal exchanges (and these are basically related to the issue of Ian supposedly going bald).

Ian mentions the band hadn’t played in about nine months prior to this show, yet the interplay overall still sounds quite relaxed or easy going, and the set list flows in spite of some small mistakes dotted around.

Note that the albums In On The Kill Taker and End Hits (released merely days before) are featured predominantly here. Personal musical highlights include the live debut of the relatively elusive Foreman’s Dog, Closed Captioned into Arpeggiator, Floating Boy into Returning the Screw, and a subtle rendition of Suggestion that gets under the skin well after the set ends.

Footage of a couple of songs including Suggestion can be found through the ritesofspr Youtube channel.

I was at this show. Excellent performance and still hard to believe they played Hagerstown. Ian and Guy ate at the little Chinese resturant on the corner up the street from the venue. Some videos are on YouTube of the show too and pretty good qualit. We went to the 180 Club almost every week and they were the last great club in this area. I now live in Hagerstown and still sucks driving by the venue, which is now a bail bonds place. Saw many great shows there. The Business and Fugazi were the best.

I was away at college and missed this show. You played in my hometown and I'm just now finding out about it 13+ years later.

Can't wait to hear it.