Live: Ghost in Indianapolis

Few bands have blown up as much and in so little time as Ghost have. Hitting almost every major U.S. city in the last year or so, the band have headlined nearly everywhere- except North American festivals and the occasional support slot for bands like Iron Maiden. They recently took a break from their tour from opening for Maiden with a few one-off headline dates of their own- one of which hit Indianapolis’ Egyptian Room for the second year in a row. One thing that can be said about Ghost is that they tend to bring much smaller bands out with them and this time they brought Royal Thunder with them, who kicked things off with a bang. Their set, while slower, was powerful, energetic and full of attitude. They didn’t have a lot of time to work with so they didn’t talk to the crowd a whole lot. However, by the end of it, the near-sold out crowd had been won over and were instant fans. Not long after, the lights went down and Ghost’s traditional three intro songs started playing, giving it a very theatrical feel from the start. As the stage became illuminated with many different colors, the band ripped into “Square Hammer” and the rest was history. If you attended the band’s show the year before, you saw pretty much the same set with the addition of the opening song. The band still found a way to mesmerize the crowd and get them into it. Ghost has a charming and almost-hypnotizing aspect to them. Papa Emeritus’ voice is so calming and comforting on every level and the band’s musicianship is so powerful and impressive, you can’t help but get sucked in. After 18 tracks, the band wrapped things up and left the fans wanting more and ready for the band’s upcoming album that should be out very soon.               Royal Thunder Setlist:

1.   Burning Tree
2.   April Showers
3.   The Sinking Chair
4.   Time Machine
5.   Hotel Bend
6.   Mouth of Fire
7.   Forgive Me, Karma

Ghost Setlist:

1.    Klara stjärnor(Jan Johansson)
2.    Miserere Mei, Deus (Gregorio Allegri song) (Choir of New College Oxford and Edward Higginbottom)
3.    Masked Ball (Jocelyn Pook song)
4.   Square Hammer
5.   From the Pinnacle to the Pit
6.   Con Clavi Con Dio
7.   Per Aspera ad Inferi
8.   Body and Blood
9.   Devil Church
10. Cirice
11. Year Zero
12. Spöksonat
13. He Is
14. Absolution
15. Mummy Dust
16. Ghuleh/Zombie Queen
17. Ritual
18. Encore:
19. Monstrance Clock