Photo Gallery: Ministry at The Riviera Theatre • Chicago

Brassneck | April 1, 2022

Ministry
Riviera Theatre
Chicago, IL
March 31, 2022

Recap and photos by Curt Baran

Although he now resides in multiple locales, whenever Al Jourgensen brings his Ministry project to Chicago, it will always feel like a homecoming. The band has long outgrown its synth-pop genesis, but even then, its sound hinted at the menacing Metal outfit it would become.

Thursday night’s performance at the Riviera found the band in peak form. Playing behind a wall of chain link fence (Tru-Link?), the symbolism of caged animals could not have been more appropriate. Adding to the all-consuming monolithic vibe of the evening, the band also brought along sludgy, brothers-in-arms in The Melvins and Corrosion Of Conformity to lather up the leather-clad, inked-up disciples in attendance.