“Let’s Go Insane!” Isn’t that something you want your children hearing? To hell with that, it’s what they should be hearing. For 27 years Ministry has been letting us know just how things really are in this country. Without wanting their music to be labeled as “industrial” they set a standard for a whole generation of bands such as White Zombie, Fear Factory and Static-X. They threw in that influence of music fueled by synthesizers, heavy beats and crushing guitars. Now, with this last album and tour, and the passing of the most awesome Paul Raven (R.I.P), they are going out with the biggest bang to hit us since Fred Hoyle coined that term.
Ministry formed in 1980, by Al Jourgensen, but he didn’t like the way the music was sounding at the time so he decided to put it on hold and work on other projects. On Waxtrax! Records, he worked with many artists on projects such as Revolting Cocks, Pailhead, Lard and 1000 Homo DJs. With Revolting Cocks, Jourgensen found the sound he was looking for and is melded into his music with Ministry. The beats got heavy, the guitars got heavy and ultimately, the lyrics grew angrier. This evolved into the Ministry we know, love and will always love for the brash, in-your-face declaration of truth.
A few months ago I got myself into a slump. I wasn’t feeling quite right and I just wasn’t in the 
concert-going mood. Then I heard the news that Ministry was going to do one final tour and then call it quits. I snapped out of it and immediately searched the web for the dates. I was on the computer every day until I stopped seeing those stupid 3 letters- TBA. I contacted their manager and asked if it would be cool to write up a review of the show because…I don’t know about you, but they are a huge influence on me. I think a lot of bands in metal these days owe a lot to Ministry and they don’t even know it. Anyhow, I eventually got a response and an OK to cover the show, but I would have to contact their manager again a little closer to the date. Well, this was about, say, a good 4 months before the show itself so the wait was maddening!
As the show date grew closer, the anticipation was building and building. Finally I got confirmation from their manager on the show and I was set. With Ernie [Manrique] waiting for me at the House of Blues in Hollywood, I was off for a night of raucous music and a send-off of a band that has had a huge influence on my way of thinking about the situation of politics.
I know Hemlock played first, but I didn’t get to see them. I was just in time to see Meshuggah. One of my co-workers who teaches guitar lessons always goes on about that band. In all honesty, they were cool, but not really my thing. Yeah they play awesome 8-string guitars and a 6-string bass, but most of their songs sounded the same. There were maybe one or two songs that stood out, but mostly, I couldn’t tell the difference. Like I said, it wasn’t my thing.
As soon as they were finished, I was running around looking for Ernie so he could get up to the front to take picture of Ministry’s set. I think I went up stairs about 5 or 6 times. I tried calling, but I couldn’t get any reception. Finally I got a text message in that said he was near the sound booth. When I found him I was laughing because I couldn’t find him. Yeah, I think I lost about 5 pounds that night just from going up and down the stairs. He decided to stay near the back and get some pictures because there was fencing along the stage so it created a bit of a problem for him to shoot some pictures. I went right up to the front, like I always love to do, so I can enjoy me some kick-ass music… and that’s exactly what I got.
They did exactly what they set out to do with this tour. They played some of the toughest, head-pounding, jaw-clenching music they made. A lot of it was from their last trilogy of CDs that were dedicated to “Dubya” and the lofty characters who make up his administration. They started out with “Let’s Go”. It’s the opening track off their last album “The Last Sucker”. Now I don’t know if there was any significance toward the fencing on the stage, but if there was, I would guess it had something to do with the immigration policies. I could be wrong, but that’s just my opinion.
They also played one of my favorite songs, “Senor Peligro”. Without getting too political, let’s just say “peligro” means “dangerous” and the song is about George W. Bush. Well, needless to say, they all are about him. I love that song not only because I agree with the lyrics, but because it’s such a rough song. It’s fast, brutal and loud. The title track off “The Last Sucker” was played. How can you compete with lyrics like “Last sucker/Sorry fucker/Bye bye” That’s just awesome. The other stand-out songs of the evening were
“Lies Lies Lies”, “No W.”, and “Rio Grande Blood” which happens to be another favorite of mine.
One thing I do regret is leaving early. I got knocked in the head really hard by some guy’s elbow and I felt really dizzy. I chilled out for a bit, but I didn’t feel right. I wanted to get out of there before I passed out or something. The next day I got a message from Ernie saying that he had never heard Ministry before and he really enjoyed their sound and drive. That right there made it all worth-while. I had turned another friend of mine on to Ministry’s music a few weeks ago and it felt really good. When someone can appreciate what you see in a band’s music, it makes you feel respected in a way. Even though it’s too late to see Ministry again in concert, it’s great to know that their music is always going to be around for other people to discover. Uncle Al, if you’re reading this, I’m a big admirer. Thanks for bitch slapping us into seeing how important it is to get involved in our political system and to keep ourselves informed.
To catch the rest of the C-U-La Tour dates visit:
