Industrial legend Ministry has a sold-out crowd amped up and fully engaged with support from Gary Numan and Front Line Assembly.
It is a rather warm, winter evening in Royal Oak, MI, with temperatures around 70 degrees, and that has fans of industrial metal lined up early for tonight’s sold-out show. Things are only going to get hotter inside once the bands take the stage. Wasting no time getting the fans fired up is Canadian industrial band Front Line Assembly, who kick off their set with “I.E.D.” from their 2010 album Improvised Electronic Device. It starts a bit slow and then revs into high gear with the pulsing synths and programming by Rhys Fulber, drumming of Jon Siren, and guitar riffs by Matthew Setzer. Stalking the stage and delivering the vocals is Bill Leeb. The sound is dialed in and sends vibrations throughout the venue. Next up is “Vigilante” which continues the sonic assault with a more guitar-driven vibe but still heavy with synths and drums. “Plasticity” takes the pace up a few notches with some wickedly fast synths and beats, and heavier vocals.
Having been around since 1986, Front Line Assembly is well-known amongst fans of bands like Skinny Puppy and Front 242 but is probably unknown to many here tonight. However, judging by their reactions, they have certainly picked up some new fans tonight. Several times during their set, Bill and Rhys each take to playing a drum, which, along with Jon on full drums, is killer. The crowd is pumped up which is not hard given the aggressive but engaging rhythms that have them moving early. Slowing things down a bit, they play two songs that are a bit more melodic, “Bio-Mechanic” and “Deadened.” Picking up the pace again is “Killing Grounds.” They wind it down with the pulsing “Mindphaser” from their 1992 album Tactical Neural Implant and finish up with the heavy “Millenium” from the 1994 album of the same name. They have set the bar high for the bands to come.
Gary Numan had some early success with synth-pop back around 1979-1980 with the album The Pleasure Principal, and the hit single “Cars.” Even while putting out over 20 albums, he has pretty much flown under the radar in the United States. Having changed his sound over the years to a darker, more industrial sound certainly lends itself well to being on this tour. He and his band consisting of Jimmy Lucido on drums, Steve Harris on guitar, Tim Slade on bass, and David Brooks on keyboards/synths, take the stage to whistles and cheers. It seems at least some here tonight have been paying attention to his music over the years. He leads off with “Everything Comes Down to This,” which finds his voice in great form. The next two songs. “Halo” and “The Chosen” have a heavier sound that leans more toward the industrial, but with lucid vocals. Having just turned 66 a few days prior to tonight’s show, he is quite active and limber, more like someone much younger. He uses the mic stand as a prop as he stretches one leg far back and drops low to the stage, and roams about the stage accentuating the vocal delivery with arm motions and dance moves.There is a cool vibe to the stage with a video screen, backlighting that has the band members more like silhouettes at times, and then blasts of beams of light. The next song, “Metal,” flashes back to his early synth-pop days, while “Pure” has a slower melodic pace that is heavy on the keyboards. It is David’s keyboards and synths that power the sound of all the songs. That is not to take away from the rest of the band, as the drums and bass are deep and solid, and the guitars are crunchy and add a punch to many of the songs. Steve has an interesting stage presence, often making hand gestures and staring down the crowd, encouraging them to partake in the action. After “Love Hurt Bleed” and “Is This World Not Enough,” the opening notes of the next song are familiar, and the crowd erupts and sings along to “Cars.” After “Haunted,” he plays two songs from the 2017 album Savage (Songs from a Broken World). “Pray for the Pain You Serve” and “My Name Is Ruin” both have an epic and atmospheric mood, while still throwing in some heavier sections. Closing out the set is “A Prayer for the Unborn” from the 2000 album Pure which has Gary playing guitar alongside Steve. The fans show their appreciation with a huge round of applause as the band exits. It would be great if Gary could continue to tour for many years to come. He and his band put on an awesome show tonight and a headline set would be even better.
The packed venue is anxiously waiting for the industrial metal masters, Ministry, to hit the stage. As they walk out, the crowd lets out deafening cheers. The first half of the setlist is all from their last two albums. The first five come from the 2024 album HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES, including “B.D.E.,” “Just Stop Oil,” “Goddamn White Trash,” “Aryan Embarrassment,” and “New Religion.” The next two songs, “Alert Level” and “Broken System,” are from their 2021 release Moral Hygiene. For this tour, Al has brought along John Bechdel on keyboards, Paul D’Amour on bass, Cesar Soto and Monte Pittman on guitar, and Roy Mayorga on drums. Roy has been a great addition to the band. He crushes the drums with precision and is a beast as he powers through every song, and has added another dimension to the live shows. For “B.D.E.,” the band is also joined by Leni Von Eckardt on vocals.Al seems to have a new energy about him tonight. He is all over the stage, playing up to the fans and often smiling. Gone are his facial piercings and locs, and instead he wears a black hat along with a long black jacket and sunglasses. He keeps the banter between songs to a minimum until later in the show and instead lets the music do the talking. The stage is rather stripped down from a previous tour that had a fence between the band and the crowd. There is a mic stand front and center that is a cross with a skeleton in it, and there is a video screen behind the band. Ministry makes use of videos throughout their set with many tied to politics and issues like extremism, environment, and propaganda. Many are aligned with the songs being played.
Halfway through the set, Al finally addresses the crowd about them putting up with the new songs and announces a fan favorite, “N.W.O.” This really fires up the crowd as fists pump in the air and the moshing continues. They keep the energy high with the rapid pace of “Just One Fix,” which has Paul on the drum riser and all over the stage. “Stigmata” gets the crowd bouncing, clapping, and putting up their horns, while the video screen displays creepy closeups of eyes that change extremely fast. Setlist staple, “Thieves,” gets the crowd singing out “huh” and “hey.” After “Jesus Built My Hotrod,” Al is impressed with the crowd and tells them, “That is how that is done. Thank You. That was badass.” They exit the stage to loud cheers and whistles. Returning to the stage, they play two cover songs, Magazine’s “The Light Pours Out of Me” and Fad Gadget’s “Ricky’s Hand.” They are both well received, but many fans would likely have preferred to get some Ministry classics like “So What” and “Burning Inside” to end the night. It is still an awesome night of music by all three bands. Although he has indicated the next Ministry album may be the last, let’s hope Al reconsiders as he can still put out great music and puts on one hell of a live show.
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