Ministry - House of Blues, Sunset Strip - 4/05/08

Ministry’s C U LaTour, purported to be the band’s farewell, wound up a three-night stand on the Sunset Strip with a powerful set of their industrial-infused metal. Founding member Al Jorgensen was backed by guitarists Tommy Victor and Sin Quirin, keyboardist John Bechdel, bassist Tony Campos, and drummer Jimmy DeGrasso.

The band was separated from the audience by sections of chain link fence, reminiscent of The Blues Brothers playing at Bob’s Country Bunker. Was it to keep the Ministry away the audience or vice versa? Jorgensen’s trademark antler-encrusted microphone stand got a hand when a roadie brought it out.

The main set covered Ministry’s anti-Bush album trilogy, which became such a big project because, as Jorgensen told Phoenix New Times, “I didn't think I was going to have to do three albums about this idiot, but we kept re-electing him, so I had to keep waving my fists in the air and shouting that this guy's got to be impeached or beheaded.” They opened with five songs from The Last Sucker, the band’s last album, then played four songs from the first album in the series Houses of the Mole, and concluded with four tracks from Rio Grande Blood.

The remainder of the review can be read at Blogcritics.