On February 27, 2024 I was off to San Francisco, California on my way to the Warfield Theater. The Warfield Theater became a music venue in 1979 by Billy Graham and the rest, as they say, is history. Traffic on the bridge was brutal and made me almost late for the show.
Front Line Assembly was first on stage. Singer, Bill Leep was on fire as he jammed through the songs. Starting with “Vigilante” they hit the stage with an intensity that was unmatched. The band played with a determination of a new band though they have been around for years. Suited up with their new guitar player, Matthew Setzer, they plowed through their set with ease. Blasting through “I.E.D.”, “Killing Grounds” and “Mindphaser,” shredding their way through the set, each song more iconic than the last. Filling out their set was the song “Millennium”, which was a perfect ending. And, what a set it was. It was the perfect band with the perfect set.
Front Line Assembly band members
Bill Leeb – Vocals, Keyboard, Percussion
Rhys Fulber – Keyboard, Programming, Percussion
Matthew Setzer – Guitar
Setlist:
1.Vigilante
2. I.E.D.
3. Plasticity
4. Deadened
5. Killing Grounds
6. Mindphaser
7. Millennium
Gary Numan was up next. He is 100% on point and was well-fit for the night. His energy and power were well-matched and fit perfectly. The band kept up and he just shredded his guitar. Starting out with “Everything Comes Down to This” the pace was set for what was to come. Followed by “The Chosen”, “Love Hurt Bleed”, “My Name is Ruin” and everyone’s favorite Gary Numan song, “Cars” the set was well thought out and solid.
Gary Numan band members
Gary Numan – vocals, keyboards, guitar
Steve Harris – guitar
Tim Slade – bass
David Brooks – Keyboards
Setlist:
1.Everything Comes Down to This
2. Halo
3. The Chosen
4. Metal
5. Pure
6. Love Hurt Bleed
7. Is This World Not Enough
8. Cars
9. Haunted
10. Pray for the Pain You Serve
11. My Name Is Ruin
12. A Prayer for the Unborn
Ministry hit the stage on fire. Uncle Al Jourgensen, with his infinite wisdom, put his show together and did it with style. Ministry played a set with passion that seemed never-ending. The band started out playing “B.D.E.”, then they played newer songs off the HOPIUMFORTHEMASSES and Moral Hygiene albums. The fourth song was special because the had Jello Biafra, formally of The Dead Kennedys to perform “Aryan Embarrassment”, and he just killed it! This was a one-off performance since he isn’t on tour with them.
With the first part of the set complete, Ministry broke into some of the older tracks including, “Just One Fix”, “Thieves” and “Jesus Built My Hotrod”. This part of the set was awesome. Driving each song into the crowd like a band possessed. Those songs came after a short break in the music, and they settled it down and played two covers songs, “The Light Pours Out of Me” a Magazine cover and “Ricky’s Hand” which was a Fad Gadget cover. What a fun couple of songs that brought the right energy to the crowd.
Overall, a terrific show. If you like (or love) any of these bands, check out this lineup. You will not be disappointed whatsoever. 10/10 DEFINITELY approve.
Ministry band members
Al Jourgensen – Vocals, Guitar
Cesar Soto – Guitar
Monte Pittman -Guitar
Paul D’Amour – Bass
Roy Mayorga – Drums
John Bechdel – Keyboards
Setlist:
1.B.D.E. (Live debut)
2. Just Stop Oil (Live debut)
3. Goddamn White Trash
4. Aryan Embarrassment (with Jello Biafra) (Live debut; Biafra’s first )
5. New Religion (Live debut)
6. Alert Level
7. Broken System
8. N.W.O.
9. Just One Fix
10. Stigmata
11. Thieves
12. Jesus Built My Hotrod (first time since 2019)
Encore:
13. The Light Pours Out of Me (Magazine cover) (First known performance by Ministry since 2003)
14. Ricky’s Hand (Fad Gadget cover)
Photographer of about 10 years, I have been shooting concerts for about 8 of those years. I started to get serious about concert photography about 6 or 7 years ago and now try to shoot as many as I can. I shoot mostly rock but, have done some country and big band stuff. I love music and since I am nowhere close to being a musician, this is a way I can be a small part of what, in the words of Henry Rollins, “gets me through the highs, the lows and everything in between”.
