Review: Ministry Left Chicago Wanting More As They Wrap Up Their 2026 US Hate To Go Tour At The Salt Shed

Oct 05, 2026 admin_bitlc Features, Music News, Reviews 0

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By James Currie

Ministry returned home to Chicago for one final bash before leaving the country, and left Chicago wanting more. The Salt Shed was packed for this special one-night-only stop, the final U.S. date of Ministry’s 2026 tour before Al Jourgensen and company head to Colombia and Australia (and one festival in Texas), eventually wrapping up the year before returning to Europe in 2027. With the band calling their final album Hate To Go, due October 30, according to Jourgensen truly will be the final album. With that, there was a feeling in the room that Chicago was supposed to get something special. It did. It just didn’t get enough of it.

The night started with Richmond, Virginia’s Windhand, the stoner-doom outfit delivering a brutally short, but powerful, four-song set. Luckily most of their songs are quite lengthly so it amounted to more than just a few minutes.

Then Louisiana sludge-metal legends Acid Bath took the stage and immediately changed the temperature of the room. After nearly 30 years apart, Acid Bath reunited last year and have been making up for lost time ever since.

Their 10-song set ripped straight through their ’90s catalog, with fans screaming along, crowd surfing and generally losing their shit. Original members Riggs, Sammy Duet and Dax Riggs were joined by an all-star live lineup featuring Zack Simmons of Goatwhore, Alex Bergeron and Crowbar bassist Shane Wesley. For many in the building, Acid Bath alone was worth the price of admission.

Then came Ministry. The opening was pure Filth Pig theater. A man walked onto the stage carrying a small flag, dressed in a suit jacket and tie with bloody meat covering his head. Pointing toward the screen behind him, he announced, “30 years ago, that was me.” The young man in a suit with meat on his head was the cover of Filth Pig. His name, Paul Elledge.

Then the screen lit up and Ministry launched into “Reload,” the opening track from 1996’s Filth Pig. The album’s 30th anniversary was clearly the theme, with “Filth Pig,” “Lava” and “Crumbs” following before Jourgensen dropped the first bombshell. “We haven’t played this song live in Chicago in like 30 years.” “Scarecrow” erupted.

But the biggest moment of the night was still coming. “We’re gonna need some help for this next one,” Jourgensen said. He pointed back toward the side stage. “Here’s an old friend—Paul Barker!” The Salt Shed exploded.

Barker, who last performed with Ministry around 25 years ago, returned to the stage for “Useless,” a particularly fitting choice considering the song was written by Jourgensen, Barker, Bill Rieflin and Mike Scaccia. With Barker also contributing to the upcoming final Ministry album, the appearance felt less like a nostalgia stunt and more like a genuine closing of the circle. For a few minutes, the past and present of Ministry were standing on the same stage and Chicago ate it up.

Two songs from Hate To Go followed, “Burned Out” and “We Hate”, both making their live debuts. Hearing unreleased Ministry material in Chicago, performed for the first time, was another rare moment in a night already packed with them.

It was fitting that we got this honor as this is Al’s old stomping grounds. He even brought out another special guest, Phildo Owen from Revolting Cocks days, dressed in a German Octoberfest lederhosen and sporting a giant beard.

Then Jourgensen reached for the nuclear option. “N.W.O.” The room detonated. Following that, came “Just One Fix.”

The crowd surged, screamed and surfed through the room as if Ministry had just transported everyone back to 1992. These are the songs Chicago fans know by heart, the songs that turn a Ministry show from a concert into controlled chaos.

But when the final notes disappeared, something was missing. The crowd wanted more. A lot more. There was no encore. People kept chanting and nobody seemed ready to leave. The Salt Shed remained loud as fans stood around waiting, hoping, wondering if Ministry might come back out. Sadly, they didn’t. The show ended just before 10 p.m. Eleven songs. That was it.

For a band like Ministry, especially on what was billed as a special Chicago stop and the final U.S. show of the tour, 11 songs felt painfully short. The audience response said everything. Chicago had shown up expecting a final, full-throttle goodbye. Instead, the night felt like the plug was pulled just as the machine reached maximum voltage. Still, there was no denying what worked.

Filth Pig got its long-overdue spotlight. “Scarecrow” returned after decades. Paul Barker walked back onto a Chicago stage with Ministry. Two songs from the final album were born live in front of a hometown crowd. And “N.W.O.” and “Just One Fix” reminded everyone exactly why Ministry remains one of industrial music’s most dangerous live acts. It was a great mix that was new and refreshing as well as familiar.

But as the house lights came up, the chants continued. Chicago wasn’t ready to go. Maybe that was the point. After decades of Ministry’s music, one final album on the horizon and a career built on breaking things apart, perhaps the most Ministry thing imaginable was to leave the audience hungry and still clamoring for more. Hate To Go? Maybe. But Chicago clearly wasn’t ready to let Ministry go. And that’s that.

For more on Ministry, click here

For photos of Ministry live at the Salt Shed, click here

For photos of Acid Bath, click here

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• Acid Bath, Al Jourgensen, Chicago, concert review, Final album, Final Tour, Hate to Go, live, Ministry, Paul Barker, Phildo Owen, Revolting Cocks, Salt Shed, Windhand

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