It did not bode well that my journey to photograph and review Ministry during their sold-out night at Markthalle, Hamburg that I was late getting into Hamburg due to traffic. To add insult to injury the heavens opened as I pulled into park, and I arrived to the venue like a waterlogged rat.
I arrived just in time for warm up act Light of Eternity. I can’t say I knew anything about them before hand and despite some interesting wall of noise dynamics and vocal tics I was underwhelmed. The crowd seemed to dig it and that’s the main thing.
The venue was packed. It was warm and steamy, and the crowd was ready with their jeers as the customary startup statement and accompanying pic of Donald Trump stating very clearly that no one in the band voted for this “Imbecile”. As the voice and face of Ministry, Al Jourgensensauntered onto stage with the band the crowd’s energy went up a gear. From there on out it was a crushing barrage of old hits like N.W.O and cuts from latest material like Goddamn White Trash, a personal favorite of mine. Uncle Al,as he is now warmly called by the fans has often stated that he is not a fan of the mosh pits, but that did not stop a good portion of the crowd from cutting loose.
Al Jourgensenhas stated that their last album will come out before Christmas and then they will do a final world tour before putting to rest this legendary group. That’s a damn shame, as based on what I saw tonight Al has plenty left in the tank to give. Do yourself a favor. Make sure you get tickets to see them before they hang up their boots.
