MINISTRY: Paris Concert Cut Short, AL JOURGENSEN Hospitalized (Video)

July 29, 2012

Industrial metal pioneers MINISTRY were forced to cut their concert short last night (Saturday, July 28) at Bataclan in Paris, France after the band's frontman, Al Jourgensen, appeared to be physically incapable of continuing the show.

Jourgensen, who, according to RadioMetal.com, came on stage looking "rather intoxicated and was nearly unable to move throughout the performance," was reportedly taken to the hospital 50 minutes into the Paris set, causing the cancelation of the band's appearance Sunday at the Rock En Stock festival at Parc Du Valigot in Etaples, France.

Fan-filmed video footage of the last song of MINISTRY's Paris set — "Waiting" — before Jourgensen left the stage and was rushed to the hospital can be seen below.

The 53-year-old Jourgensen last year told Metal Hammer magazine that his decision to break up MINISTRY in 2008 after 11 albums and 27 years was largely due to his health problems.

"I'd been throwing up blood for the last three tours and like an idiot, I didn't think there was anything wrong," Jourgensen said. "So I came back, [off tour] and it got better for a couple weeks. Then in March 2010, I went into a seizure and bled out 65% of my body and they had to take me by ambulance to the ICU where I flatlined. I was dead. I couldn't hold down food and I just didn't know what was wrong. I spent a week in ICU where they gave me a 100% blood transfusion."

He added, "After a tour I had [an ulcer] burst right over a main artery in my stomach. They found 13 of them from my esophagus to my intestines which had scarred over, which explains why I'd been puking for years.

"I spent most of 2011 in doctor's offices, brain scans, everything. They've probed holes I didn't even know I had, but I've lost 50 pounds. I'm a vegetarian again, I have a personal trainer, I do 20 miles on my bike every day, I eat right, I'm the healthiest I've been in over 20 years."

Asked if he can still drink, Jourgensen told Revolver magazine earlier this year, "I have a male nurse who weights 350 pounds named Hector. I call him 'Hector, the third bottle rejecter.' I'm only allowed two bottles of wine a day now. And it doesn't even get to that. It's about a bottle and a half, and that seems to be good along with the medicine I have to take every day for the rest of my life. I just went and saw my doctor and she said, 'Yeah, you're actually doing pretty good for being a fucking degenerate.'"

Jourgensen officially reformed MINISTRY last year and released a new studio album, "Relapse", in March. The CD was recorded last fall at Al's industrial compound studio in with his favorite co-conspirators Mike Scaccia (RIGOR MORTIS),Tony Campos (STATIC-X, SOULFLY),Tommy Victor (PRONG) and Casey Orr (RIGOR MORTIS, GWAR).

MINISTRY's current touring lineup:

* Al Jourgensen - Vocals, Guitar
* Mike Scaccia (RIGOR MORTIS) - Guitar
* Casey Orr (RIGOR MORTIS) - Bass
* John Bechdel (KILLING JOKE, FEAR FACTORY) - Keyboards
* Aaron Rossi (REVOLTING COCKS) - Drums
* Sin Quirin (REVOLTING COCKS) - Guitar

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