Seeing Ghost in concert, more known as a “ritual” among fans, is not something you want to miss if you are a fan of rock or metal. Bands like Kiss, Ice Nine Kills and Motionless in White are familiar with these huge scale productions, but no one does it quite like Ghost. Their setups consist of 136,000 pounds of fully custom stage setups, 800 moving lights that feature their logos, multiple costumes for the nine members in the band and much more behind the scenes that fans never get a glimpse of. Fans prepare for months, getting cosplays, makeup and setlists memorized. The dedication of this fanbase is one that you cannot compare to others.
An hour before doors opened, fans were lined up almost around the block. The roar of excited chatter follows every step taken. People handed out bracelets, keychains and little collectibles related to the band. Some people even hand out little rubber rats, as a reference to the song Rats.
Almost every person in line was wearing face paint, masks and suits, copying the way the characters in the band dress, also known as Nameless Ghouls. The main characters are always Papa. The current era is Papa V, also known as Perpetua.
Once let into the venue, people were handed a locked phone pouch. The band has been following phone-free environments the last few tours; this policy has encouraged people to interact with each other and to be fully immersed in the production.
The line for merch is long, including things like t-shirts, shorts, light up wrist bands and even plushies of Papa V.
Walking to the seats, at every turn there was another cosplay, another hand made outfit and so much dedication and excitement surrounding everyone attending.
Eerie opera music played before the show, setting the mood for the immersion. The song— Miserere Mei, Deus— is already 15 minutes long, but repeated multiple times, pulling tension from each person waiting for the show to start.
The house dims, and lights behind a ripped curtain hiding the stage bleed through the fog. Papa began singing Peacefield, the excited screams and clapping from fans drew attention directly to the stage, wondering when the curtain would drop and show the new outfits on the ghouls and the new backdrop of the set. As soon as the lyric, “But it’s not over yet,” finishes, the curtain drops, revealing the new rhinestoned masks and costumes of Papa and the Ghouls.
The energy from the band continued on through the next few songs, the screen behind the band changed color depending on the song. One stands out though: Cirice. The end of the track immediately transitions into a loud boom, and the stained glass church imagery shatters, revealing a starry night behind the glass framing that contrasts with the warm colors beforehand. This changeover leads to Darkness At The Heart Of My Love. The homely and nostalgic feeling through this ballad translates directly to the screen behind them. The stained glass rebuilt itself into a new image, now showing a beautiful woman smiling over the crowd. Over the bridge, lyrics show over the portrait:
The lyrics pulled at the heart strings of fans, some people smiled through their tears.
As beautiful as the show was, there were definitely a few hiccups. One funny moment was a fan somehow throwing a clothing item on stage, and Papa holding it for a beat to get a crowd reaction before throwing it back, saying: “Make yourself decent, you heathen.”
One thing that is always a fan favorite at these shows is the entirety of Mummy Dust. One of the ghoulettes did a keytar solo, the two guitar players go back and forth during another solo section and at the bridge. Confetti is always shot out containing fake money with different characters as the face on the bill.
Another funny moment that stood out to a lot of fans was during Year Zero. Papa V was in a new costume, trying to do a dramatic model walk in the middle of the stage but the two guitar players stood in his way and refused to move. They even told Papa to get out of “their way,” making almost the whole arena erupt in laughter.
Circling back to the no phone policy, people were way more appreciative of it than you would think. The bonding that happened between people was noteworthy and the immersion of the production was special. People were less focused on trying to get the perfect video and just focused on the experience, making the night extra special in comparison to previous tours.
When the band walked off stage, the arena erupted in cheering, chanting for an encore. Barely a minute passed before the band came back on stage, the cheering doubled when the lights reilluminated.
“I think my favorite highlight of the show was when the encore started, it was a special moment to me because of the songs they played. They were the songs I was introduced to Ghost with. Also the set design was awesome. Also the people near me, we talked and bonded over the love of the band and show,” said Hailee Norman.
The encore consisted of their popular songs: Mary On A Cross, Dance Macabre and Square Hammer. The singing was the loudest during these songs, an impressive feat for an arena show. The energy from the crowd and band was immaculate, wrapping up the show perfectly.
As they set their instruments down and a song plays over the speakers, the lights come fully back on. Papa and the rest of the ghouls lined up, holding hands doing one final bow. Cheers flared up, fans waited until the band walked off stage to leave their seats, finalizing the night for them.
Overall, this was one of the best Ghost performances. Everyone had amazing things to say, and the memories made among the fans during this tour will stick forever.
