Live: Ghost in Indianapolis

It\’s only once every few years that Ghost tours the United States. They use the old school model of releasing an album and embarking on just one or two good-sized tours to promote it. Coming from Sweden and with a Satanic theme, not a lot of radio stations will play the band\’s music, giving the band a bit of an underground and cult (see what I did there?) following. In a market like Indianapolis- one the band has had yet to hit on a headline run and one with a massive void of a rock presence- some people thought the buyrate would be mid-sized. Imagine the excited surprise when the band\’s Black to the Future trek hit Indy\’s Egyptian Room for a SOLD OUT show. Then again, why be too surprised? Ghost have a very hypnotic musical presence. Their sound has a Black Sabbath-esque vibe and their musicianship is impressive to say the least. The fanbase is a strong one and when the band hits a city, the fans turn out in droves because they know it could be a few years before the band returns. After a lackluster set from Pinkish Black, the lights went down and the curtain closed and the crowd went crazy. It wasn\’t quite time yet, though. After around 15 minutes of intros- “Misere mei Deus” and “Masked Ball,” everything went silent, smoke filled the room, the curtain opened and the Nameless Ghouls took the stage as they exploded into “Spirit” and the crowd lost their minds as Papa Emeritus ominously III appeared at the back of the stage. The Black Mass had begun and Papa was leading the Indianapolis choir. With a new record- Meliora out, the band played eight of the ten tracks from the album. “Spirit,” “From the Pinnacle to the Pit,” “Devil Church,” “Cirice,” “He Is,” “Spokensat,” “Absolution” and “Mummy Dust all found their way into the setlist along with longtime Ghost fan favorites and anthems “Year Zero,” “Stand By Him” and others. When you don\’t know who\’s behind the costumes- or uniforms- you appreciate the music that much more and that\’s what you get with Ghost and it pays off for everyone. Their stage presence is haunting and trance-inducing. This was everything you could possibly want from a Ghost concert- including Communion! Ghost announced shortly before they hit the road that they wanted two women from each city to pose as nuns for “Body and Blood” and for them to pass out Communion wafers and wine to the crowd, which is just genius. Halfway through the set, Papa changed his wardrobe to a more formal tuxedo get-up and it was time for the second half of the Mass- or, as Papa called it at the end of the show- a worship service for the Dark Lord himself. Shortly after “Absolution,” the lights went down again and two giant candelabras were brought to the stage- one on each side- as every Ghoul except Earth and Wind came out with acoustic guitars for a very intimate rendition of “If You Have Ghosts,” was a beautiful touch as Papa talked to the crowd in between songs. They wrapped up the show with “Monstrance Clock,” as they usually do- dedicating it to the female orgasm. “For centuries, the female orgasm has been rumored to be the work of the devil,” explained Papa. “Which is a bad thing if you aren\’t down with Satan. Luckily, though, this is a worship service for the Dark Lord himself. This show lived up to everything you could possibly expect from a Ghost show. Just three albums in, the band is only getting stronger and they\’re well on their way to becoming the band in metal. If anything else was proven during this show and tour it\’s that if you have Ghost, you do indeed have everything. -Reggie Edwards Click here for exclusive photos of Ghost\’s set