Fugazi, photo by Cynthia Connolly (via Dischord.com)

Ted Leonsis, the billionaire owner of the NBA’s Washington Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals, is hoping that he can get seminal post-hardcore heroes Fugazi to reunite for a charity concert at the Capital One Arena in D.C.

Fugazi, of course, are one of the great bands to come out of Washington, D.C., churning out a legendary career for more than 15 years from the late ’80s through the early 2000s. However, the band has been in perpetual hiatus since 2003, with fans clamoring for a reunion ever since.



In calling for Fugazi to reunite, Leonsis was inspired by a creative work by graphic designer Carni Klirs, whose current gallery exhibit, “Action. Reaction. Action: Visualizing Fugazi“, showcases not only the band’s musical achievements but the impact Fugazi have made in local activism and fundraising.

Leonsis shared an article on Klirs’ exhibit on Twitter, and wrote, “Let us all work to get Fugazi to reunite, play at our Arena, we will compensate the band, and make a major donation to local charities in their names, it has been too long. They resonate well with all generations, we miss them.”

Let us all work to get Fugazi to reunite, play at our Arena, we will compensate the band, and make a major donation to local charities in their names, it has been too long. They resonate well with all generations, we miss them. Check this out. https://t.co/c7HcqHWY4l — Ted Leonsis (@TedLeonsis) May 13, 2019

Fugazi famously charged only $5 per ticket back in their playing days, so it’s unclear how that policy would translate to a major arena charity gig, if Leonsis were able to make the proposed concert happen.

Back in February, bassist Joe Lally said, “You never want to say never”, when asked about the possibility of Fugazi ending their hiatus. In that same interview, drummer Brendan Canty added, “If we got back together, it would have to be from the spirit of creativity. You can’t put an inherently creative group back together and then not have the creative element.”

In the meantime, Lally and Canty are playing together in the instrumental group The Messthetics, while Lally also performs with Fugazi singer-guitarist Ian MacKaye in a new as-yet-unnamed band that also includes MacKaye’s wife, Amy Farina.