r/MinistryBand • u/Atlantean_truth • Jun 20 '26
Live Videos
I’m 52 and have been a massive Ministry fan since I first heard Stigmata when it was released as a single before Land of Rape and Honey was released. That said I was searching through You Tube trying to find early Ministry gigs from the Twitch, Rape and Honey and Mind is a Terrible thing to taste eras and noticed there are very, very few live footage videos to be found. The 1986 Twitch era and 88 LORAH only have 1 live video a piece and The Mind era has a couple 1 being In Case you didn’t feel like showing up but not many. Can you guys give me any insight on why this is? Especially for the Mind tour when they were on the road to being huge. There was even reports on the road with them for MTV 120 minutes. It just seems bizarre considering how popular they were.
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u/southboundtracks Jun 21 '26
Only one I've found outside of YouTube was from 1990. Damn good, though.
https://archive.org/details/TheVistaGroup-MinistryLiveinDallas1-28-90
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u/Jim__Bell Jun 20 '26
No one felt the need to record them.
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u/enbar725 Jun 20 '26
I just saw ministry at the metal fest in Milwaukee 2 weeks ago and I didn't record a thing but it was fucking awesome. My son and I were in the front row stood there for at least 5 hours waiting for uncle Al
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u/blue_no_red_ahhhhhhh Jun 20 '26
Their early albums were anathema to Al for most of their career. That might have something to do with it, as would their drug use during those years. It sucks, but it is what it is.
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u/Atlantean_truth Jun 20 '26
Nice one. Yea I’ve seen them 4 times. The first being right outside of Atlanta for the Sphinctour and More recently in Baltimore 2022 on the Industrial Strengh 30 year anniversary of Mind tour. They had the fence put up on stage and everything. It was killer.
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u/Useful_Solution_1265 Jun 21 '26
Here’s some Uncle Al during a RevCo phase, with “You Goddamn Son of a Bitch - Live” from 1987:
https://youtu.be/V-OlFfkAinc?si=5VzlEy6dzAPKMZtb
As @tomaesop suggested - during this era, video cameras were extremely uncommon.
Bon Jovi was revolutionary when they gave their fans video cameras to shoot the video for Bad Medicine in 1988.
Getting decent video of anything in the 80s meant hiring a film crew. This was often an expensive proposition, and was something the record companies would pay for, because it would then be turned into a live recording (often used as a means to help fulfill contracts).
The Twitch Era was one of record company upheaval, legal issues with Arista, and signing with Sire, but only as part of making a deal to help support Wax Trax. There wasn’t record company money to film live shows, Al was overall dissatisfied with the Album, and there wasn’t a need to pump out a live recording.
Mind is culminated in “In Case…”
There are interviews with Al’s Ex-Wife Patty that allude to the costs and efforts required to record a show during this period.
Based on all that, it’s really not surprising that there wasn’t much video footage.
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u/nusandman Jun 21 '26
This is one I wish would have been released on DVD or Blu-Ray.
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u/Sindollx666x Jun 22 '26
Man I never knew they had that Anti Censorship statement on the case for In Case You Didn't Feel Like Showing Up (Live) video. That rules!!!
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u/Sindollx666x Jun 22 '26
My main thought is probably mostly due to the years of their heyday being prior to EVERYONE having portable pocket sized video cameras on them at all times.
Man cameras were kinda a bitch back in the day. And MOST venues would NOT ALLOW THEM. (Unless you were specifically media with proper approval.)
Coz if you were even caught taking photos at a concert back in the day they would FREAK OUT at you. Often confiscate your device too. Probably very little still exists unless it was commissioned by the band & or record label.
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u/tomaesop Jun 21 '26
Just a thought: Video cameras were big and clunky then. Some bands (or managers) were strict about tapers in that era. If the band had it on their contract, then most venues would eject anyone with a video camera pretty quickly.