Industrial Strength 2022, Ministry, Melvins, CoC
Rustbelt Rock Reviews
By: Z.M. Delgado
Zackolantern.com
Volume #4: Live Review -“Industrial Strength Tour 2022” Ministry, Melvins, Corrosion of Conformity
Friday April 1, 2022
Cleveland Agora Theater, 5000 Euclid Avenue
I woke up Friday morning with a spring in my step and a smile on my face. Even though I had a full shift ahead of me at the day job, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. That light, brighter than any mere TGIF sentiment, was the best kind of light of all: I was going to the Metal Show! And what a show I had on my docket that night: The Industrial Strength Tour. An event boasting three legendary acts from my heyday: Southern Metal monsters, Corrosion of Conformity and The Godfathers of Sludge, Melvins in support of one of the pillars of Industrial Metal, the indisputable Ministry. Three 90’s era bands of exceptional talent, all giants of their subgenre’s playing to a packed house… what could go wrong?
For me the trouble started early: Chen Killingsworth was sick. My constant companion to these events was down for the count, and I had to scramble to find a home for his ticket. With a line up this great, it didn’t take long. I tracked down my old friend Dru (Drummer/Big Wayne) and we set up our rendezvous at just before 7pm; which is what had been listed for the time doors would be opening. Or so I thought. You see, this is one of the many reasons why Chen is so integral to the operation. I have a few talents, but organizational skills are not among them. When it comes to the general logistics of getting to and from the gig… well, that falls squarely within the bounds of Mr. Killingsworth’s department. With Chen out of commission, I was fending for myself… but I am fairly certain that I checked earlier to verify this information.
We met up with the third member of our party, my old friend Domenic, at the doors, and were inside by7:10, 7:15 at the latest. I was calm and relaxed. Even with the early stress caused by Chen’s absence, we had arrived at Agora and I had a solid 45 minutes to settle in and chat with the crowd. This had been the plan from the start. I was going to catch up with old friends, get some opinions and generally feel out the vibe going into the show. While grabbing beers I noticed the house music was loud… too loud in fact. Peaking around the corner and into the theater, I was dismayed to see Pepper Keenan and crew already pounding away on stage: I was missing C.O.C.! Without a thought I booked it to the floor, unwittingly abandoning my friends in the process. They were halfway through “Shake Like You” when I reached my spot on the floor and hoisted my beer in salute. I banged my head with vigor, as they tore through classic s like “Diablo Blvd.” “Vote With a Bullet” and powerful rendition of “Albatross.” We were also treated to a rarity in “Born Again For The Last Time” which doesn’t make it into the set list often. Closing out the set with their usual flourish, the boys performed an extended version of “Clean my Wounds” that set the crowd into an eruption of applause. That was about it though. While many of the diehards jumped about and rocked out in place with enthusiasm, a moshpit never really developed which I found disappointing. I have seen C.O.C. many times over the years and this was by far the weakest crowd reaction I have witnessed. Maybe it was the time change, and many fans had yet to arrive. I know, had I not planned to be there early, I would have missed them outright. I question the wisdom of putting a band of C.O.C.’s stature on as an opener. (As did many others who I spoke to, but more on that to come.) Why not pull some talent from Cleveland’s very deep local scene, and let them warm things up before putting the veterans on stage? I know there are dozens of acts that would gladly offer up their services for such an opportunity. Just a thought.
Time changes and lack of local support aside, Corrosion of Conformity was incredible. They ran through a 10 song set, of which I was only able to see 8, with passion and energy to spare. If C.O.C. has aged, it had been like fine bourbon: gaining both flavor and strength as the years pass. I ran into two Metalheads, named Aaron and Jimmy. I met these lunatics’ years ago, on the Black Sabbath final tour, outside of Detroit. I asked them what they thought of the set, to which Aaron responded by screaming that Corrosion of Conformity “Should’ve headlined this whole fucking thing!” A bold faced challenge aimed at the Ministry fans in the room. This was not surprising to me. If I know one thing about Aaron and Jimmy, it’s that they like their Metal old school and have little stomach for Industrial.
Over at the merch table, I encountered my friend, and C.O.C.’s biggest fan, Janet Rossi (Niagara Falls, Canada) and her boyfriend, Bill (New Jersey). I first met Janet on the Megacruise in 2019. This Cleveland show was her 5thstop out of 7 on this current run. She too was disappointed with the crowd response and mentioned confusion over the start time. She also said she thought there were “a lot of Ministry fans” and it was more of an “Industrial crowd” to which I agreed. Cleveland had always had a strong Industrial scene, especially in the 90’s when Ministry first achieved their glory. This was when I first began to think about the lineup. It was a little odd. Yes, these were three bands from the same era and yes there is a lot of overlap in their fan bases. I am a big fan of all three. Despite this, they do have three very different sounds and vibes. I thought about this as I heard the crowd erupt: Melvins were taking the stage. I said goodbye to Janet and Bill, and headed for the pit.
This was my first time seeing Melvins, so I was obviously excited. Weaving through the crowd, I navigated down the left hand stairs and was dismayed when I was blocked from entering the floor. The bouncer at the entrance turned me away, stating that the floor was full. Now, I have been to more than my share of shows at Agora, dating back to ’97, and I can tell you one thing: That pit was definitely not full. As a result, The Melvin’s had to play to a floor only three quarters packed at best, and dozens, if not hundreds, of eager fans were relegated to the areas behind the soundboard. I and many others I spoke to, found this frustrating. I have encountered this problem at other shows since the COVID reopening last fall. When questioned about this policy and the reasoning behind it, floor staff has been vague at best. It’s just the rule now, is about all I’ve gotten from them. Whether they don’t know, or simply don’t want to talk to me about it, remains to be seen. I have since reached out to Agora Management in hopes of clarification on this point.
This left Dru on the floor and me on the second tier. I was soon joined by Domenic and a few other friends in the scene: Namely local artist and fixture in the tattoo community, Eric Stevenson (Atom Bomb, Willoughby) along with his brother and apprentice, Ben. Together we banged our heads and raised our horns as Melvins belted through a set of bewildering and strange Sludge. Buzz Osbourne, wearing a long black dress and shirt adorned with vaguely occult eyeball imagery, led his entourage on a campaign of significantly mindbending quality and heaviness. Now, while I am a Melvin’s fan, I admit I am not deeply familiar with their entire expansive catalogue. I own their first three albums, and enjoy them all, but as far as song titles go, I will have to plead ignorance. That being said, their performance blew me away. I love Sludge Metal, so seeing the band that effectively spawned the genre was quite a treat. They played a nice long set, and had the crowd moving. I was most impressed with the portions of the set that utilized the duel drummers. Seeing it live was a spectacle that held a real power that couldn’t possibly be captured in the recording studio. At the times when the slow drumming of the Sludge rhythm increased sufficiently, the floor erupted in furious moshing. Now that it was well passed 8pm and after the “original” posted start time, the club had filled up completely and the attendees were thoroughly enthralled in the event. Melvins finished to a crowd ovation every bit as maddening as their music. My first Melvins experience ended in total satisfaction. In fact, if it were not for the issue with the pit restrictions, I would have considered it flawless. Making my way back to the lobby bar, I encountered my old friend Dave “Sturge” Sturgell. I first met Sturge years ago at an Amon Amarth VIP event. He’s a good dude with great taste in Metal, so naturally I had to get his take on the Melvin’s set. I was surprised to find out that this was actually Sturge’s first time seeing them as well. “I’ve waited years to see the Melvins.” He said, “I didn’t think I was gonna hear “The Bit” and they played “The Bit” and I was fucking stoked!” He then raised his hands and bellowed across the room, “This is for cows!” I couldn’t have agreed more. In Sturge, Melvins found another undoubtedly another satisfied customer. I asked him what he thought of C.O.C., and it seemed he ran into the same confusion over the start time that I did. He said he caught the end of their set, under the assumption that he’d arrived with time to spare. While I was relieved that this mix up was apparently not an oversight on my own part, I was bummed that a lot of Corrosion’s fans had missed out on at least a portion, if not all of the set.
Finding Domenic again, we were about to head in to see Ministry, when I saw some familiar faces in the merch area: Pepper, Woody and John of C.O.C.. While I’ve met these guys a number of times in the past, Domenic had never had the pleasure. Taking a few minutes we headed down, so we could say hello and, of course so I could grab some new gear. Not surprisingly, the boys in Corrosion were sipping Coors Light, signing autographs, posing for photos and generally looked to be having a good time. They have always been these sort of musicians: very easy to identify with; very approachable. Pepper was more than happy to pose with Domenic and me for a photo, and was kind enough to go on the record for my article. I asked how it felt to put COVID behind us, and get back on the road. To which he responded with a simple but enthusiastic, “It’s awesome.” I followed up with: How does it feel to be back at Cleveland’s Agora? This garnered a less enthusiastic response of “Well that’s a different story, but its fine.” I asked if his reserve was in reference to the time change, but he cleverly dodged saying with a laugh: “It’s good to be back. It’s got an Oh on each end, and it’s high in the middle.” I am also happy to report that Pepper has confirmed a new C.O.C. album is in the works, as is Down, but both are still in the writing phase. “We sat around for two years in the garage and now we’re trying to get out the gate.” I thanked C.O.C. for their time and Domenic and I headed into the theater for Ministry.
With full command and authority, Ministry took the Agora stage to an electrified crowd. We were turned away from the pit for a second time by security. Again, in my opinion, there was room for a lot more concertgoers on the floor. Disappointed, we relocated to the tiers above and settled in for the show. And what a show it was! Now I have seen Ministry in the past, and they never disappoint. Performing from behind a chain link fence Al Jourgensen and his current entourage led the onlookers on a post apocalyptic journey, which showcased how they rose to become one of the driving forces in their subgenre. The sonic violation touched many of their albums, laced with a slew of covers. High points for me were seeing their interpretation of Black Sabbath’s “Supernaut” and later, my two favorites “N.W.O” and “Just One Fix” back to back. I could go on and on about the lights, and video presentation, but it would never do it justice. For those of you who have seen Ministry before, you know exactly what I’m talking about. For those of you who haven’t: Make it a point to. This band has earned every inch of their legend, for quality, influence and raw live power. Papa Jourgensen and the boys still have it, and Ministry in still a must see in my book.
So on to my final summation. I don’t like that I have had so many negative things to say in this review. After all, full disclosure: The Agora is my favorite venue. Not just in Cleveland, but anywhere. That place has a lot memories and sacred significance for this author. Our first show back was Gojira last fall, and once I cleared security I got down on my hands and knees and kissed the floor. (Chen laughed at my dramatic ass, but he knew I meant it.) But, for my fellow Futurama fans, when it comes to concerts: I’m a “whale biologist” ( I calls’em likes I sees’em.) So the mix up with the start time, and the new pit rules were honestly a bummer. I believe I have beaten that dead horse sufficiently at this point. As I mentioned earlier, I have reached out to Agora via their website in hopes of getting some explanation. They have yet to respond. I was also upset by the crowd response for Corrosion of Conformity, but if you tie that into the door issue, it is at least explainable. I do still feel it was odd having three bands of such stature, playing together without a true opening act. It just makes sense to me to grab up some local talent and it’s important to get emerging artists the exposure that comes with the opportunity.
This show had some really great variety. The bands covered three very different styles of Heavy Metal, which gave the concert a shifting vibe. In my opinion, I think the general energy would have been better served if C.O.C. and Melvins would have swapped time slots. No disrespect to Melvins, they played a killer set, but Corrosion over all is more upbeat and performs a more rockin’ style, than Melvins surreal sludge stylings. If Melvins would have played first, the energy would have built steadily throughout, and I think been a more natural transition.
As always the sound was incredible. Agora’s engineers and crew really know what they’re about. Pit restrictions aside, the security detail was present but unobtrusive. Bar staff was fast and friendly, and cannot be blamed for the asinine beer prices. I have come to accept that the days when Agora served 32 oz drafts for 5 bucks are long gone, but would it kill them to have one affordable tall can on the menu? While we’re on the subject, 20 bucks for parking is just nuts. Not as nuts as parking outside the fenced lots though and obviously Agora knows it. So patrons are forced to tack an additional Andrew Jackson onto any ticket or risk walking home. I suppose it’s your choice to make, I know I coughed up rather than roll the dice. It bears consideration that the prices are comparable to that other club near public square. After a massive renovation, that looks honestly looks amazing, and the lengthy shut down, I imagine the Agora ownership needs to find some ways to recoup their investment.
In closing: The “Industrial Strength Tour 2022” visit to Cleveland’s Agora Theater got off to a rough start, and had a few irritations, but was still one hell of a show. We were treated to three truly groundbreaking acts; acts that literally helped define and shape their respective subgenres. Each one played flawlessly from my vantage point, and with undeniable passion. It’s good to see the bands that blazed their trails in my youth, are still out there kicking ass and taking names. Yes, my fellow Clevelanders got off to a slow start but it picked up as the night progressed. Ministry is always a spectacle to behold, and are well worth the price of admission. I got to see Melvins for the first time, which was an awesome experience and another one of those Metal Bucket List moments. I had the opportunity to get Pepper Keenan on the record for this article, which meant a lot to me personally. I always give special praise to any band that takes time for their fans, and Corrosion of Conformity are well known for it. I am admittedly not a very good interviewer, but he was patient with me, which was appreciated. In the event I hear back from Agora, I will add a follow up to this article. That being said, odd snafu’s and expensive beers aside: Agora is still the best midsized venue in town, and my favorite place to be.
Z.M. Delgado
4/6/2022
Supplemental note: Since publishing this review I have come across an actual paper copy of a ticket for the event. It did in fact list doors as 6pm. When the ticket was printed I do not know, but this indicates that I was in fact mistaken about the posted time. How it came to be that so many others made the same mistake that I did is beyond me. As I have not received a reply from Agora as of yet, I must assume the error was my own.
