Today was all about Ministry and Danzig but that would not be going down until almost 8 pm so we had to keep ourselves occupied all day as we were completely isolated in the canyon. Sleeping in was not an option to kill part of the day because tents tend to become similar to miniature greenhouses once the sun rises. The first order of business then became breakfast. The only food we brought with us were snacks but we had bought some food the day before at the Mexican food truck that had posted up in the campgrounds and were assured they would be there again in the morning serving breakfast. No such luck. That left only the “General Store” which was a tent selling a handful of items. One such item was a frozen Jimmy Dean sausage croissant, which I promptly purchased and overcooked in the provided dilapidated microwave. I’ve had worse. Showers were also advertised as being available but ran out of water after about an hour but who was I kidding? I had no interest in showering just to get dirty again. I was confident I would be fine until the next day when I got home, especially because I planned on drinking for a good portion of the day.

Once we got back to the camp spot I had convinced the guys to see if we could hike to the top of the nearby mountain because what the fuck else were we going to do all day? We knew if we just drank all day we would either be so fucked up that we would not remember seeing Ministry and Danzig or just pass out and miss it altogether. The hike turned out to be more difficult than we thought it would be and may or may not have involved some trespassing. After making our own trail for quite some time we finally came to a service road that took us far enough to realize that what we thought was the top of the mountain was really just one in a series of mountains. The highlight of the trek was witnessing two ravens harassing a hawk. Satisfied with our exploration we made our way back down to camp and proceeding to “get our drink on.” As we arrived closer to camp we also noticed our friends at the Mexican food truck had indeed made it back…just much later than promised. After drinking the remainder of our haul and shooting the shit some gal who was walking by our spot asked us who we were there to see. It seems we had lost track of time and Ministry was going on in 10 minutes! We got our shit together real quick and got in just in time to see Ministry kill. Uncle Al seemed extremely lucid and was weird as ever. They played pummeling versions of old songs and debuted the killer new song “Antifa” from the upcoming album AmeriKKKant. I really like the fact that all five times I have seen Ministry have been at different places.

SETLIST: Psalm 69, Punch in the Face, Antifa, Rio Grande Blood, Senor Peligro, LiesLiesLies, Waiting, Worthless, Bad Blood, N.W.O., Just One Fix, Thieves

Danzig was the other reason we came here; partially as a curiosity having never seen him. The guy is an enigma of sorts. I never thought there was any Danzig I enjoyed until hearing “Brand New God” from Danzig 4 in the back of Joe’s VW Beetle whilst on acid at 18 years old. While I was not lucky enough to hear “Brand New God” Danzig was partially playing this show to celebrate a brand new album, Black Laden Crown, that had dropped the day before. Danzig ripped with Tommy Victor on guitar and I was digging all the stuff they played. Danzig commanded the stage in a way that only experience can. Castle Danzig however did not make a reprise. Nor did the “Amusement Rides,” aka Carnival Swings.

SETLIST: SkinCarver, Twist of Cain, Devil on Hwy 9, Her Black Wings, Godless, Left Hand Black, How The Gods Kill, Do You Wear the Mark, Dirty Black Summer, Last Ride, Black Mass, Long Way Back From Hell, Snakes of Christ, Mother, She Rides, Am I Demon