FUGAZI: "WAITING ROOM" LIVE: PT. 10

This is a series of never-before-seen Fugazi concert footage from director Bill Draheim.
https://billdraheim.squarespace.com

Shot June 27, 2001 at First Avenue & 7th St Entry in Mpls, MN.
https://first-avenue.com

Discover the groundbreaking music of Fugazi, the iconic post-hardcore band that revolutionized the underground music scene. From their influential albums like "Repeater" and "In on the Kill Taker" to their electrifying live performances, Fugazi continues to inspire generations of music lovers worldwide. Learn about their DIY ethos, political activism, and enduring legacy in this comprehensive overview. Subscribe for more content on Fugazi, punk rock history, and alternative music!

Fugazi is a band from Washington, D.C. They played their first show on September 3, 1987 and since then they have released seven albums and toured the world extensively covering all fifty United States, Europe, Australia, South America, Japan and many points in between. The band is self managed and release all their material through Dischord Records.

The band maintains a policy of affordable access to their work through low record and ticket prices and all concerts are all-ages.

"Waiting Room" is a song by the American post-hardcore band Fugazi. The song was first released as the opening track to their debut EP, and was later compiled on their commercially successful 1989 compilation 13 Songs. Featuring stylistic influences from funk, hip-hop and reggae, the song typifies Fugazi's signature style of post-hardcore and would go on to become one of their most popular and widely covered songs despite never being released as a single.

Fugazi – “Waiting Room” (Song Overview)
“Waiting Room” is one of Fugazi’s most iconic tracks, widely regarded as a seminal song in post-hardcore and independent punk rock history. Released in 1989, it remains a powerful anthem about self-control, autonomy, and resistance to complacency.

Background & Meaning
“Waiting Room” explores themes of:
Agency and Self-Control: The refusal to “sit around waiting” for change.
Frustration with Inaction: A critique of passivity, both personal and societal.
Independence: A call to resist being part of a system or trend that lacks integrity.
It opens with a now-legendary bassline by Joe Lally, setting a groove-infused tone rare in hardcore punk at the time. The track blends funk, punk, and reggae-influenced rhythms with sharp, politically charged lyrics — hallmarks of Fugazi's innovative sound.

Album Information
Song: Waiting Room
Artist: Fugazi
Album: 13 Songs (Compilation of EPs Fugazi and Margin Walker)
Original EP: Fugazi (1988)
Release Year: 1989 (13 Songs)
Genre: Post-Hardcore / Punk Rock
Length: 2:53
Label: Dischord Records

Lyrics
I am a patient boy
I wait, I wait, I wait, I wait
My time, water down a drain
Everybody's moving
Everybody's moving
Everybody's moving, moving, moving, moving
Please don't leave me to remain
In the waiting room
I don't want the news
I cannot use it
I don't want the news
I won't live by it
Sitting outside of town
Everybody's always down
Tell me why?
Because they can't get up
Come on and get up
Come on and get up
But I don't sit idly by
I'm planning a big surprise
I'm gonna fight for what I wanna be
And I won't make the same mistakes ('cause I know)
Because I know how much time that wastes (and function)
Function is the key
To the waiting room
I don't want the news
I cannot use it
I don't want the news
I won't live by it
Sitting outside of town
Everybody's always down
Tell me why?
Because they can't get up
Come on and get up
Up from the waiting room
Sitting in the waiting room (ah)
Sitting in the waiting room (ah)
Sitting in the waiting room (ah)
Sitting in the waiting room (tell me why)
Because they can't get up

Songwriters
Ian MacKaye
Guy Picciotto
Joe Lally
Brendan Canty
Each member of Fugazi contributed to the songwriting process, aligning with the band’s democratic, DIY ethos.