Tag: ministryconcertreview

May 4, 2023 – Franklin Music Hall, Philadelphia PA

Review by Chris Yates // Photography by Estelle Massry

In true industrial metal rock fashion there is no other venue that would be more appropriate for Ministry than the converted General Electric Switchgear Plant, Franklin Music Hall in Philly PA! The place was packed and full of electricity (no switch needed) and rocking from floor to ceiling.

Ministry is touring in support of their 2021 album ‘Moral Hygiene’ accompanied by an ageless Gary Numan as well as the Canadian electro-industrial rockers Front Line Assembly, which featured Bill Leeb, formally of Skinny Puppy.

Front Line Assembly opened the evening with great stage presence and cool, throw back sounds which included covering Falco’s 1985 hit ‘Rock Me Amadeus’. From there I was transported back to my high school days which set me up nicely for Gary Numan.

The 65 year old (going on 35) Gary Numan is touring in support of his nineteenth studio album ‘Intruder’ which was released almost two years ago to the day. One of the first LP’s I ever purchased was Gary Numan’s, ‘The Pleasure Principle’ and I played the song ‘Cars’ over and over until the needle scratched through the vinyl. I honestly haven’t heard Gary perform in decades and wasn’t sure what to expect but I was overly impressed with his edgy music and the style he puts into his performance. He spoke not a word between songs and I found no words to be needed as he focussed on his performance. Gary, with his face war paint and all, is an excellent front man moving about the stage in flowing form and while his music still had the electronic, synthesizer sounds, it was overlayed with hard hitting rock & roll. It was a good mix! Gary was flanked by his two guitarists, donning shaved heads with long gray skirts and grey tee’s supporting the overall industrial theme of the night. I loved it!

One would think both Front Line Assembly and Gary Numan would not be an opening match for the hard hitting Ministry but I found the lineup to be quite the contrary. Both were wonderful complements to Ministry and set up the vibe of the venue perfectly for the headliner!

Grammy-award nominated industrial rock titans Ministry are touring in support of their 2021 album ‘Moral Hygiene’, as well as in support of a new album entitled, ‘Hopium for the Masses’. I’ve seen and reviewed Ministry before and really enjoy their “volume up – it goes to 11″ attitude. The place was thundering! Last time I saw them the band played behind a cage which worked well with their vibe but I personally found myself wanting to see through the chain link fence for a clearer experience. This time around, however, there was no cage to be found which allowed for a better viewing experience for everyone… especially for the photographers of which there were many at this particular show.

Ministry: Al Jourgensen, Monte Pittman, John Bechdel, Roy Mayorga, Paul D’Amour and Cesar Soto went on around 10pm and played well into the evening for close to two hours. Here’s the state of the world according to Al Jourgensen: We’re fucked but we’re going down fighting and partying hard. “How concerned are you?” displayed on the large screen as the backdrop. They exploded onto stage as the screen would show video associated to each song they played throughout the evening, many with political and societal undertones. They began with many new songs which sounded great and thankfully indicates to me that they are not going anywhere for a while. After about the 4th song (all new), Al joked to the audience saying, “I know what you’re all thinking, we paid all this money and all we’re hearing is this new stuff… well guess what… here’s one more…” And he went on to play Broken System before launching into some older more familiar songs. Their lighting was cool, they played hard as they always do with Al talking to the audience and introducing each song. The place was packed and people were fist pumping and head banging away as the hard hitting band blew everyone’s eardrums (in a very good way)!

Indestructible industrial titans Ministry provide the soundtrack to the end of the world, which no-one seems to mind.

For more info please visit: http://www.ministryband.com http://www.garynuman.com http://www.frontlineassembly.com

Setlist

Alert Level
Good Trouble
Disinformation
Believe Me
Broken System
Goddamn White Trash
N.W.O.
Just One Fix
The Missing
Deity
Burning Inside
Stigmata
Ricky’s Hand (Encore)

March 12, 2022 – The Wellmont, Montclair NJ

Review by Chris Yates // Photography by Estelle Massry

Ministry / Industrial Strength Tour

Not many bands have the presence, or know how to make a statement quite like Ministry and Saturday night was no exception. Joined by Corrosion of Conformity, a heavy metal band from Raleigh, NC (also known as C.O.C.) and Melvins, a Washington State tenant of sludge-metal, the night was a powerhouse, recking ball of industrial strength & metal rock.

Church was in session with Ministry, lead by the constant intensity and powerful strong vocals of Al Jourgensen. The pioneering, high octane filled band spread their Gospel, fueled by powerful lyrics representing anti-fascism, equal rights, and distaste of political corruption.

As the stage techs finished constructing Ministry’s iconic fence, prior to the band walking out, the lights dimmed and the large screen in back center stage illuminated with the Ukrainian Flag which read, “Ministry Stands with Ukraine”, as the Ukrainian National Anthem played. It was a unique, one of a kind experience as timing for this show combined with the lyrics the band preaches is impeccable, as Russian forces continue to bombard and invade the Ukraine for the third week in a row leaving death and destruction in their wake.

The strong, powerful vocals, mixed with electrifying, aggressive “riffage” from Ministry spread through the Wellmont Theatre all night to a packed, head banging crowd.

“Uncle Al” complemented his tattooed and pierced face with a black vest, arm sleeves, and accent neck pieces of a cross, skull, dog-tag, and bullet resembling the vigor he brings to each performance. He shook the cage as he sang, as if he and his band mates were caged animals, threatening to escape and infiltrate the sea of fans taking it all in.

Lead guitarist, Monte Pittman’s high energy and skillful guitar playing captivated admirers and provided an extra jolt to an already electrified performance. Cesar Soto (guitar), Paul D’Amour (bass), Roy Mayorga (drums) & John Bechdel (keys) were no disappointments either – that’s one hell of a band!

My ears were buzzing the entire day after, and I’d do it again within a blink of an eye.

The Industrial Strength tour celebrates 30 years of Ministry’s landmark album, “The Mind Is A Terrible Thing to Taste”. The night included songs from that album as well as debut songs from the bands brand new 15th studio album, “Moral Hygiene”.

For more info please visit http://www.ministryband.com

Setlist