S Poddar
The thunderous collaboration between these two metal giants—Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo of Metallica—ripped into Ministry’s industrial metal anthem “Just One Fix” live on stage in Chicago. This molten-hot jam, captured by the roar of the Soldier Field crowd on August 11th, adds another chapter to the band’s tradition of “doodles.”
These improvisational jams have been a part of the live Metallica experience since the 2016-2019 Worldwired Tour, and to an audience member, it seems to come out of left field. Hammett and Trujillo become musical chameleons as the band tackles genres far-flung with infectious enthusiasm—from Prince’s pulsating synthpop masterpiece “When Doves Cry” to Iron Maiden’s galloping metal anthem “Killers.” Every “doodle” in its own right is basically a nod toward a local musical hero in whatever city they happen to be playing.
The highlight this time was to be Chicago’s own Ministry, a band that carved its name in musical history. Ministry was formed in 1981 by vocalist Al Jourgensen and started its career with synthpop before taking the path that would make them one of the first bands of the industrial metal sound. One of the releases, “The Land of Rape and Honey,” came out in 1988, also initiating the shopfloors for new waves of violent, industrially tinged music.
“Just One Fix,” although it was the third single to be released from Ministry’s 1993 album “Psalm 69: The Way to Succeed and the Way to Suck Eggs,” didn’t perform as well, probably never reaching the top in Billboard charts. Nevertheless, it echoes the fans due to the naked power and groove within; this became a staple in the band’s live shows. As of today, “Just One Fix” has been played live a total of 712 times, and it remains behind only Ministry’s songs “Thieves” and “N.W.O.” – an indication that this song is being continually well-received.
The people at Ministry certainly seemed to enjoy the Metallica cover. Their official Facebook page erupted into thankfulness, posting the YouTube footage of the performance with a simple, yet very poignant message: “Thank you Metallica .”
At the moment, Metallica is right in the middle of the North and Central American leg of their “M72” world tour. Entailing the unique format “no-repeat weekends,” they play two totally different setlists at the same venue on any given weekend. The next stop is US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota, August 16 and 18. Fans can look forward to another ultra-charged performance with, maybe, a few more of those unexpected “doodles” that can glue generations of metal together into a stage of thrilling sonic collision.
