Ministry / Revolting Cocks / Pitbull Daycare

Those lacking the usual faith about the sound mix in Red’s should’ve rocked the Ministry gig, a comeback show following ’04’s killer eye-projection injection. Far more of a metal nerd buzz this time around, as 1,200 dudes and about 13 women thrashed their lumps off to a museum display of palpitating industrial, the headliners boasting not only bassist Paul Raven from Killing Joke but most notably his former Prong-mate Tommy Victor. Having just announced Ministry’s approaching retirement, Al Jourgensen didn’t exactly need the boost from his thunder god wingmen, but the man in dreads has noticeably aged both physically and dynamically since his last visit. Besides the dream line-up, a second noticeable awesome element: organised ferocious screaming directed informed political dissention via a magnificent extra member of the band. Who? No. What, actually: namely, its video collage constantly flashing above, very specifically in tune with each song. After an okay punk "hello” from former teenagers Pitbull Daycare, the third great thing about Friday night was Jourgensen’s sex-fiend side project Revolting Cocks, rock-rapping and eventually calling said 13 ladies onto the stage for spankings and a unique chance to hug a fairly shoddy giant penis. Ew. RevCo’s bald-and-chunkiness and Hustler-sexy bass lady only added to their salacious agenda, and though Jourgensen hissed briefly, their set was seriously entertaining, as the room smelled increasingly like wad. Ministry swung the flaming sword, though, especially with tunes from Houses of the Mole all the way back to 1988’s Land of Rape and Honey, not to mention my fave, "Thieves.” And whoever put the Allman Bros.’ "Ramblin’ Man” on the P.A. between sets is my new favourite superhero. Perfect.