“Keep your politics out metal!” Facebook users scream because an artist doesn’t share their political views, oblivious to the fact that many a classic metal song is politically charged. (“War Pigs,” for example) Ministry simply don’t care. With the past few years in America being politically charged and splitting the country down the middle, Ministry opt to argue out the discourse rather than mend it. You could say agitating it will only make it work itself out, and given by the production, they aimed to absolutely offend anyone in attendance who might question their views.
The Wellmont Theater in Montclair seemed fitting with the venue being large enough to house the production that Ministry was aiming for with this show. Along for the ride was Brooklyn’s own The God Bombs. The industrial outfit were no doubt impressive and those there early enough to see them were certainly in for something. With their raw industrial attitude, these guys clearly knew the genre and took full advantage of influences from the entirety of the spectrum available. Following them was Chelsea Wolfe, whom I’ve expressed admiration for in the past, and though her music was the blackest of the black sheep in the venue tonight, the crowd was very receptive of her. Her song selection was precise, as well, opting for a 9-song greatest hits-esque set to introduce her band to a mostly new crowd.
Ministry’s impending arrival to the stage was signaled by the rising blow up chickens with anti-swastika symbols on their stomachs and flimsy Trump-esque hair. I can’t make this shit up. When the band actually took to the stage, several props lit up in multi-colored lights, revealing themselves to be television sets. A bit LCD screen in the back of the venue played glitched out, heavily edited clips of news reports and infamous Trump quotes. The band took to the stage, some wearing hoods, another wearing a Guy Fawkes mask, and another with a bandana around his face. Frontman Al Jourgensen strutted onto the stage, almost concealed by an extensive set of microphones and stage props, as the band segued their intro track into “Twilight Zone” from their most recent output.
Musically, the band was strong and the opening number served its purpose of getting everyone moving, yet it was the following song that delivered a surprise. Jourgensen welcomed out to the stage Fear Factory frontman Burton C. Bell. Burton stayed for “Victims of a Clown,” but later reemerged for “We’re Tired Of It” and “Wargasm” later on, all of which he had a part in performing on AmeriKKKant. Ministry aimed to 
entertain, and the entire set was devoted to being as much of a visual spectacle as it was a musical one for the fans. I, for one, thought the oversized Trump and Hillary graphics shooting lasers out of their mouths at each other like deranged kaiju were perfectly absurd in all the right ways.
I do, however, have the gripe of the aforementioned stage props that sat on the mic stand. This wasn’t anything like ribbons or additional texture designs. This was a large, eagle-like skeleton that eclipsed most of Jourgensen, and upon moving farther back in the venue it didn’t help much. Granted, Jourgensen was at his best during songs like “Punch in the Face” (Appropriately conjuring thoughts of Richard Spencer getting punched despite pre-dating the event) when moving around with the rest of his band mates, but when stationary and the instance in which he played harmonica it was seemingly separating. In truth, it is a cool design and seems to act as a podium of sorts as he’s performing, but it ultimately became distracting.
Not distracting enough for a well-rounded, great sounding, and hard hitting show, however. Ministry are one of the most recognizable industrial acts out there and their live show lives up to that spectacle. Whether it’s the songs you enjoy or the simple-yet-comical inflatable chickens, there was something to be found in Ministry’s live show that everyone could find fun and enjoyment in, even with the thematically divisive subject matter. When you’re one of the biggest industrial acts around, going big is the only way you can go.
