Ministry's Last Toronto Song Is A Stones Cover

Kool Haus

Toronto, ON

on May 4 2008

Cameron Gordon (CHARTattack)

05/05/2008 11:00am

On paper, it appeared that Ministry had gone a bit soft in their middle age, just in time for their farewell tour. The ticket prices were sky high. The tour was slapped with a cheesy pun as a moniker (the "C U LaTouR"). There were even special VIP tickets for sale that included a meet-and-greet with the band and a special Ministry gift bag. So unless Al Jourgensen was gonna let you try on his hat and share his contraband, there was seemingly no way to spin this into a positive.

But the minute the fearsome aggro rockers strode on stage, intensity levels were high and the visual and sonic onslaught kicked some serious behind, at least for the first 90 minutes. This was impressive, considering much of the material was drawn from the band's last three albums, none of which did well commercially and will invariably go down as also-rans in the band's lengthy legacy. The show starter, "Let's Go" from 2007's The Last Sucker, set the pace in style, pummelling eardrums and ankles with its propulsive combination of riffs, samples and scowls.

The band's trademark chain link fence enclosed the front of the stage and Jourgensen casually peered over from time to time, shooting daggers at his audience like a creepy next door neighbour. Even though his vocals are incredibly processed and enhanced this late in the game, he still strikes a commanding presence onstage. He had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand with minima effort, whether he was singing, beckoning or taking a drag on his cigarette.

The stage set-up largely consisted of a massive projection screen that featured an untimely mix of visuals, combining shots of George W. Bush, Osama Bin Laden, gazelles, Asian people, collapsing buildings and a ton of TV static. It wasn't groundbreaking by any means, but considering Ministry helped pioneer a look and feel that many metal and industrial groups use on-stage today, they did a good job of keeping things current without slipping into self-parody.

It wasn't until the first encore that many of Ministry's best known tunes were rolled out, and as midnight came and went, the crowd was visibly fatigued from the high levels of head-banging and slam-dancing that had already taken place. Even a solid version of the popular favourite "So What" was met with a degree of complacency— not a good sign.

Guest vocalist Burton C. Bell from Fear Factory was trotted out for the remainder of the evening and, by and large, the crowd was similarly indifferent to his contributions. The dude can definitely wail, but cursory versions of "N.W.O." and "Just One Fix" may have been a case of "too little, too late" as the crowd laboured to just keep up. Had these songs been played an hour earlier, the 2,000-plus attendees would've collectively lost their shit, but the combination of crowd heat and exhaustion wasn't doing the band any favours.

Ministry ambled back on stage for a second encore and, sadly, wrapped up what may well be their final Toronto show with a trio of tepid covers that were at top dollar best, just OK. The Doors' "Roadhouse Blues" and ZZ Top's "Just Got Paid" were the first two, and in spite of their stress-inducing interpretations, the crowd just wasn't having it. A version of The Rolling Stones' "Under My Thumb" followed with the release of hundreds of branded Ministry balloons into the mosh pit (yes, you read that correctly). The crowd was ready to call it a night. It was a bit of a disappointing end to the evening, but overall, it was a strong swan song that these industrial pioneers most certainly earned.