Watch Ministry Perform Songs From “With Sympathy,” “Twitch,” and More During Their Cruel World 2024 Set

Hell froze over in sunny Pasadena courtesy of the Industrial music icons Ministry, who briefly transformed back into a synth-pop band (kind of) for Cruel World Festival 2024. This surprising shift delighted fans and shocked skeptics as “Uncle” Al Jourgensen and his bandmates delved into their archives, dusting off the synth-driven tracks from their earliest years. During a nine-song set, a dreadless Jourgensen led the band through a performance that included selections primarily from their 1983 synth-pop debut, With Sympathy, and their darker, more industrial 1986 follow-up, Twitch. This was an unexpected and special treat for fans, as Jourgensen has long disowned With Sympathy, finding it too sugary and pop-oriented.

The significance of this event was underscored by Jourgensen’s contentious relationship with With Sympathy. Since its release on May 10, 1983, Jourgensen has criticized the album for its poppy sound, attributing this to the influence of their then-label, Arista. Despite his disdain, With Sympathy is celebrated by fans as an essential 1980s dark synthpop record. The album’s catchy dance tracks and nostalgic pop structures have earned it a place on new wave and goth dance floors alike. Songs like Work For Love showcase the album’s unique blend of UK synthpop and disco-funk influences.

Ministry’s performance at Cruel World Festival was a nostalgia trip and a vivid demonstration of the band’s evolution over the past 40 years. Transforming into a 13-piece ensemble, Ministry included backing vocals and strings provided by the “Ministrettes” and “Ministrings,” respectively. The lineup featured guest appearances by Tina Guo on electronic cello and Mia Asano on electronic violin, adding a rich, layered sound to the performance. Former Nine Inch Nails keyboardist Charlie Clouser also joined them onstage, contributing to the nostalgic yet innovative atmosphere.

The setlist featured three songs from With Sympathy and the band’s debut single, I’m Falling. These early tracks were completely reworked, possibly due to the masters being burned. But with the additions of backing of the “Ministrettes” and “Ministrings,” these were hardly metal versions of the songs as promised (or threatened) by Uncle Al in an interview with Lindsay Parker last year,

Even though the With Sympathy tracks were not quite synth-pop, the versions of the songs from the Twitch-era were spot on, with Over The Shoulder sounding straight off the album and (Everyday Is) Halloween was the perfect way to end the set, with the B-Side to All Day sounded the best anyone has ever heard it live since the 80s.

The festival itself boasted a stellar lineup with acts like Duran Duran, Tones on Tail, Simple Minds, Gary Numan, and The Jesus and Mary Chain, making for a day packed with iconic performances. However, Ministry was definitely one of the sets that stood out, as they bridged the gap between their synth-pop beginnings and their later industrial powerhouse status.

See videos, photos, and the full setlist below:

Videos:

Work For Love, (played for the first time since 1984)

All Day was played live for the first time since 1987.

Over the Shoulder was played live for the first time since 1987.

Just Like You was played live for the first time since 1987.

For the first time in 21 years, Ministry played We Believe.

Then came I’m Falling, for the first time live since 1984.

Effigy (I’m Not An) was performed live for the first time in 40 years.

They then played a reworked version of Revenge

Finally, they played their classic Wax Trax! classic, Everyday Is Halloween, with Tina Guo on electronic cello and Mia Asano on electronic violin. Though this skeleton came out of the closet back in 2019, this was the first time in decades the track was performed live

Here’s hoping that Uncle Al and co take this set on tour sometime in the future. But don’t hold your breath, as this special performance at Cruel World 2024 (a festival now earning a reputation for booking once-in-a-lifetime performances) may be the only time we will ever see a Ministry set list this. And you might still need to pay Uncle Al that $1000 bucks to autograph your copy of With Sympathy.

Setlist:

1. Work for Love
   From With Sympathy, First time live since 1984. With Tina Guo on electronic cello and Mia Asano on electronic violin
2. All Day
   Stand Alone Single, Remix featured on Twitch, First time live since 1987
3. Over the Shoulder
   From Twitch, First time live since 1987
4. Just Like You
   From Twitch, First time live since 1987
5. We Believe
   From Twitch, First time live since 2003
6. I’m Falling
   Debut Single, First time live since 1984
7. Effigy (I’m Not An)
   From With Sympathy, First time live since 1984
8. Revenge
   From With Sympathy, Played four times in 2023, prior to that, not played since 1982.
9. (Everyday Is) Halloween
   First time since 2019. With Tina Guo on electronic cello and Mia Asano on electronic violin