Ghost Brings A Ritual To Minnesota

Ghost is in the midst of a North American run in support of the band’s latest release ‘Skeleta.’ A packed Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota was ready for ritual led by the newest lead figurehed created by Tobias Forge, Papa V Perpetua.

 

Back on January 25, 2012, I made my way to a little venue in downtown St. Paul, Minnesota called Station 4. There a was buzz in the music business about a new band called Ghost. Metal giants, like James Hetfield of Metallica, was talking about the band and how he was listening to the album they had recently dropped called ‘Opus Eponymous’ which had come out in 2010. The tour was called the ’13 Dates of Doom’ and it was the first time Ghost toured America. So, not knowing the material very well, I decided I had to go. The Nameless Ghouls all in dark robe’s barely fit on on the stage but the image of them of, with all the mystery of who they were, really grabbed my attention. Then, the figure, we all came to see walked onto the stage, Papa Emeritus, and from that moment on, I was a Ghost fan. Nobody in that club could have predicted that thirteen years later, Ghost would headline the Xcel Energy Center which is just mere miles away from the club that first introduced us to them. 

 

 

 

Ghost are currently on a 2025 US arena tour in support of the new album called ‘Skeleta.’ The arena was packed with people, many dressed up, and from the moment the doors opened you could feel the electricity in the air. Not only could nobody have predicted how big Ghost would become but also the evolution of not only the music but the character changes that the mastermind behind it, Tobias Forge, would invent with the revolving lead singer characters. For years, many people thought the band had changed singers and compared them, not know it was always Tobias behind whatever mask and character he created, wether is was Papa Emeritus III, Cardinal Copia or Papa Emeritus IV. Currently, we have Papa V Perpetua  fronting  the band with a lot more Nameless Ghouls on stage than the early days and a stage show that takes me back to eighties when every metal band that came through brought a huge stage layout and plenty of smoke and fire. 

 

 

 

Ghost opened up with the epic track “Peacefield” and then into “Lachryma,” both from the newest album. Vocalist Tobias Forge took control of the stage and the crowd and held them in the palm of his had through the twenty-two song set. What used to be four Nameless Ghouls flanking Forge, has now morphed into eight. The sound was amazing as you could clearly hear the different musicians and backing vocalists  provide the huge sound that the songs have on record. The set was a wild ride through the bands six studio albums all being embraced with towering video screens, pyrotechnics, massive lightings, CO2 and confetti. Some of my highlights, and they were so many was “Call Me Little Sunshine,” “Rats,” “Ritual,” “Circe” and “Umbra.’ “Year Zero” was wild with Forge dressing in different mask and hat and the stage colored in a deep red with flames shooting through the floor. “Satanized” might have gotten the biggest response, the place went nuts as soon the song started and the crowd could have just sung that song for Forge. The Nameless Ghouls were really fun to watch and provided some comedy along the way, with a guitarist going into shred mode on the guitar to the disgust of the other Ghouls or the bassist not letting Papa pass where he wanted to go and told hime to go around him. It was just so fun watch as they worked just as hard pulling people into the show. 

 

 

 

Forge say’s that the concerts are rituals, the same way you go to church where you have a community get-together and sing hymns. That was exactly the environment they created. Everybody coming together to celebrate the band and the sing the songs together. The band closed with the infectious disco dancing cut of “Dance Macabre” and then one of the catchiest songs in the bands catalog and the song that exploded into everybody’s heads, “Square Hammer.” A brilliant ending to a fantastic show. Ghost is a must see live show and you won’t see it online. This was the first show I have ever been to where they lock up your phone. Nobody hold up their phone in the air trying to record the entire show. It was a bit of fresh air not having that distraction the whole night. The only place to see Ghost live is hit a date that is left on this run. You won’t be disappointed. The bottom line on a Ghost show, its a lot of fun, sounds amazing and they connect with the audience which brings everybody together with a common of bond of letting yourself go and just enjoying the show. This was also my first show where there were no cell phones allowed. It was nice not have everybody holding their phone in the air taking video and not having all those videos being posted to YouTube, I had no idea what was coming with the staging and effects. It made for a exciting night and I enjoyed every minute of it.