Ministry performs in Cherokee for first time

Cherokee – The six-time Grammy nominated industrial metal pioneers Ministry performed at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort on March 22, the group’s first visit to the venue. 

Their 2024 tour shares the same name as the album that they are touring for, “Hopiumforthemasses.” Supporting bands for the tour include synth-pop pioneer Gary Numan and Front Line Assembly. The album was released on March 1 through Nuclear Blast Records, reaching No. 3 on the hard music albums chart in the United States and No. 6 on the United Kingdom’s rock chart.

Ministry opened its set with five songs from their most recent album, including “Just Stop Oil,” “Aryan Embarrassment” and “New Religion.” They then played two songs from their 2021 album “Moral Hygiene,” “Alert Level” and “Broken System,” before closing out the night with their hit songs.

Some of the hits included “N.W.O.,” “Just One Fix” and “Jesus Built My Hotrod.” Ministry concluded the show with a two-song encore of “Burning Inside,” from their 1989 album “The Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Taste,” and “Ricky’s Hand,” which was originally done by Fad Gadget and covered for Ministry’s new album. The band was joined on stage by Gary Numan for the final song of the night.

If that name rings a bell, it’s because you have more than likely heard Numan’s hit song “Cars,” which was released in 1979. The British singer/songwriter/synth-pop pioneer was labeled a one-hit-wonder after “Cars” topped charts around the world, but he has since reinvented himself and continues to release new music while also touring the world.

When opening for Ministry at Harrah’s, Numan opened his hour-long set with the song “Everything Comes Down to This” from his 2013 album “Splinter: Song from a Broken Mind.” Also from that album, he performed the song “Love Hurt Bleed.”

Numan also performed two songs from his most recent album, “Intruder,” which came out in 2021, “Is This World Not Enough” and “The Chosen.” From his 2017 album “Savage: Songs From a Broken World,” he performed the songs “My Name is Ruin” and “Pray for the Pain You Serve.” And, of course, he performed “Cars” and “Metal” from his debut solo album, “The Pleasure Principle,” which saw chart-topping success in the 1980s.

The opening band of the evening was Front Line Assembly, which formed in 1986 following singer Bill Leeb’s departure from Skinny Puppy. Michael Balch joined the band in 1987 to contribute keyboards and programming, while also producing and co-writing songs with Leeb. Balch left the band after only two years and was replaced by Rhys Fulber. 

Front Line Assembly kicked off the show with the song “I.E.D.” from their 2010 album “Improvised Electronic Device.” From the same album, they also played “Shifting Through the Lens.”

That album is the only one they played multiple songs from. They also played “Neologic Spasm,” “Plasticity,” “Deadened” and “Mindphaser.” They closed their set with the song “Millennium” from their 1994 album with the same name.

The concert featured great visuals for each band, which was made possible by a giant LED board at the back of the stage, as well as the venue’s two video boards on each side of the stage. Each band also had well-done lighting effects that elevated the concert experience.

Ministry’s headline tour with Gary Numan and Front Line Assembly will make its way West before wrapping up in Tucson, Ariz., on Friday, April 5. After this tour, they will meet up with Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper for the “Freaks on Parade” tour that begins Tuesday, Aug. 20 in Albuquerque, N.M.

That tour will come to the Southeast when they play in Charlotte at the PNC Music Pavilion on Wednesday, Sept. 11, then in Alpharetta, Ga., on Thursday, Sept. 12, at Ameris Bank Amphitheater.