The inimitable Al Jourgensen has clearly made peace with his synthpop past.
Having long been omitted most of his early, EBM-driven material that first introduced Ministry to the masses from the more modern iterations of Ministry, it's now evident the pioneering frontman is not only ready to revisit the earliest version of Ministry, but ready to celebrate just how formative those enduring entries still remain some decades later.
Releasing The Squirrely Years Revisited earlier this year, Ministry compiled a twelve-track collection of refreshed editions of some of the band's most sustaining, synthpop classics, many of which have not been included in some four decades. Among the collection featured reworked versions of cult classics like “Everyday Is Halloween,” “Work For Love,” “I’m Not An Effigy,” and “I’ll Do Anything For You.”
Given the current climate that has rekindled their infatuation with Ministry's earliest works of sinister synth pop, the album and subsequent tour have been met with universal praise. Among the highlights on the latest run, Ministry hosted a capacity room at the Palladium in Hollywood on the penultimate stop of the retrospective tour.
While the setlist focused entirely on refreshed works from Ministry's first two entries, With Sympathy and Twitch, tracks that were some four decades established rang as relevant with the energized crowd that spanned generations. From the opening "Work for Love" to the set closer in "(Everyday Is) Halloween" the renewed energy of the songs was evident in the kind of connection Jourgensen shared wth the fans. Along with an all-star ensemble cast in John Bechdel (keyboards), Monte Pittman and Cesar Soto (guitars), Pepe Clarke Magaña (drums), Paul D’Amour (bass), the setlist felt relevant despite being decades deep.
Keeping the mood of the evening lively, Ministry completed their time with an encore that brought back their most assertive sensibilities. Taking on their cover of Fad Gadget's "Ricky's Hand" and capping the set with the Revolting Cocks homage to Rod Stewart's "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?" the night proved a celebration of all things Ministry
See the gallery of images below from photographer Maurice Nunez.
MINISTRY
