MINISTRY Brings Their Heavyweight Industrial Tour to Cleveland

May 5, 2023 – Cleveland, OH

Every industrial rock fan in the area had to be interested in this lineup.

The best lineup of any show in the area so far this year. Ministry, Gary Numan, and Front Line Assembly. Ears were prepped and ready to take in everything this show had to offer tonight.

With a lineup featuring hits from the eighties to today, most of the fan favorites would be those songs heavily rooted in the sounds that founded the industrial movement we come to know and still love today.

Front Line Assembly

With a solid 40 minute set, Front Line Assembly got the crowd well warmed up.

Starting off with I.E.D. and Killing Grounds, those on hand were thrilled to see this group proving this with their reaction as every song started. Slipping in the Falco cover Rock Me Amadeus was welcomed.

Their heavy, true, industrial sound resonates as good today as it ever has. Projection, strobes, and plenty of stage fog had the band weaving in and out of obscurity as they plowed their way through their set.

This four piece made it look easy. With singer Bill Leeb jumping in on a single drum for a bit to help fill percussion when needed. Tim Skold was sitting in on his grinding guitar sounding great over the driving industrial beats and synths.

Bill’s vocal talent was right on point as well. As their set ended, the crowd let them know how much they were appreciated, as they let out a heightened level of applause.

Photo gallery of Front Line Assembly at the end of the article.

Gary Numan

With an hour long set, Gary Numan and his bandmates had a great set in store for us.

Gary Numan… most people know the song Cars. Well, tonight it was much more than that. It would be mid set until we heard that eighties synth staple. With booming drums and an edgy synth, he tore though a set of high energy industrial that makes up the other 90%+ of his catalog. It was definitely a lot harder than on might expect, which fit in great tonight.

This was definitely a crowd that knew everything Gary Numan. You could see people singing along, and then cheering loudly for each following song.

A snippet of Wicked Game was woven in towards the end of his set, as he finished with My Name is Ruin and A Prayer for the Unborn.

Photo gallery of Gary Numan at the end of the article.

Ministry

It was time for the headliner, and after a super quick changeover, the members of Ministry entered one-by-one from side stage, with Al Jourgensen entering last.

With the prelude Death Toll flowing from the sound system, the band ripped into Alert Level and continued with four more cuts from 2021’s Moral Hygiene. Some are a bit different, border-lining on metal anthems. It wasn’t a huge shift from previous albums, and these newest politically charged tracks had the crowd chanting along. Showcasing their latest single from their upcoming album, Goddamn White Trash was a nice bonus tossed into the setlist.

Now it was time for the classics. Starting the six-song, second half of the set, off with N.W.O. The crowd was well stirred up, and security was busy, as Al even asked some to calm down (from my vantage point I could not see if it was security or fans he was addressing), but it was definitely down front in the raucous pit.

This had to be the loudest, and best sound at any show I have attended at The Agora. With ears ringing, and the floor rumbling, they finished their main set with Stigmata.

They offered up a single song as an encore with Fad Gadget’s Ricky’s Hand and brought Gary Numan out to accompany them.

This was hands down the best show of the year for me. With a lineup like they presented it was hard to go wrong, but everyone brought their best, including the crowd, sound techs, and lighting techs.

Ministry will be on tour with Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper at a town near you soon, you shouldn’t sleep on that lineup either.

Photo gallery of Ministry at the end of the article.

Front Line Assembly Photos

Gary Numan Photos

Ministry Photos