Ghost will hit the road this April in support of their new record Skeletá, though there's a catch – you're not allowed to have your cellphone out during the show. Much like the shows when Ghost was filming their 2024 movie Rite Here Rite Now, everyone's cellphone must be placed in Yondr pouches provided by the venue – though you'll still be able to have it on your person.
So why isn't anyone allowed to use their phone during the show? Why did Ghost get all Tool on everyone? According to Ghost mastermind Tobias Forge in an interview with Planet Rock, it's because Forge feels everyone was more connected with the music and having a better time when phones were banned during the Rite Here Rite Now filmings. So why not make that a universal experience?
"I really wanna underline that the ban has nothing to do with, let's say, copyright control. It's not that we wanna sit on all the material and we don't want anybody to monetize [Ghost videos]; it has nothing to do with that.”
"Rite Here Rite Now, the film, the essence of messaging in that film was exactly that, but also I, but us collectively, working, making that film… We filmed two shows in L.A. in front of audiences where they had to put their phones into pockets. You don't give it away. You have your phone; you don't have to worry about that. If you need to call, you can go out. If you need to take a photo, you can take a photo of yourself out in the lobby; that's fine.
"But what ended up happening was that we had such an engaged crowd that seemed joyous in a way that… I had to go back years and in time since I last saw a fully engaged crowd where everybody's actually watching [the show]. They don't have to watch me, but they're watching the band.”
He continued: "I don't wanna turn this into an ageist thing where I'm gonna tell 14-year-olds everything was better back then. But I swear that the experience of shows and the making of memories, the making of magic, was much more powerful. Some of the best shows I've ever been to, I have maybe not even seen a picture from that because they all live here [in my head]. They live in my core. That's the memory I have of that.
"And that is an experience I wish for… Obviously, the part of our crowd that are older and more aware, maybe this becomes a little bit nostalgic then. But I really believe that the younger portion of our crowd will, as they did in L.A., come out saying, like, 'That was not only a great concert; that was also an overwhelming experience.' Because I do believe that you will feel that."
Pre-orders for Skeletá are available here. Ghost's world tour also kicks off on April 15. Ghost will kick the tour off at the AO Arena in Manchester, UK and (so far) wrap things up on September 25 at the Palacio De Los Deportes in Mexico City, MX. Love it. Tickets are available here.
4/15 Manchester, UK AO Arena
4/16 Glasgow, UK OVO Hydro
4/19 London, UK The O2
4/20 Birmingham, UK Utilita Arena
4/22 Antwerp, BE Sportpaleis
4/23 Frankfurt, DE Festhalle Frankfurt
4/24 Munich, DE Olympiahalle
4/26 Lyon, FR LDLC Arena
4/27 Toulouse, FR Zénith Toulouse Métropole
4/29 Lisbon, PT MEO Arena
4/30 Madrid, ES Palacio Vistalegre
5/3 Zürich, CH Hallenstadion Zürich
5/4 Milan, IT Unipol Forum
5/7 Berlin, DE Uber Arena
5/8 Amsterdam, NL Ziggo Dome
5/10 Lodz, PL Atlas Arena
5/11 Prague, CZ O2 Arena
5/13 Paris, FR Accor Arena
5/14 Oberhausen, DE Rudolf Weber-ARENA
5/15 Hannover, DE ZAG Arena
5/17 Copenhagen, DK Royal Arena
5/20 Tampere, FI Nokia Arena
5/22 Linköping, SE Saab Arena
5/23 Sandviken, SE Göransson Arena
5/24 Oslo, NO Oslo Spektrum
7/9 Baltimore, MD CFG Bank Arena
7/11 Atlanta, GA State Farm Arena
7/12 Tampa, FL Amalie Arena
7/13 Miami, FL Kaseya Center
7/15 Raleigh, NC Lenovo Center
7/17 Cleveland, OH Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
7/18 Pittsburgh, PA PPG Paints Arena
7/19 Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Center
7/21 Boston, MA TD Garden
7/22 New York, NY Madison Square Garden
7/24 Detroit, MI Little Caesars Arena
7/25 Louisville, KY KFC Yum! Center
7/26 Nashville, TN Bridgestone Arena
7/28 Grand Rapids, MI Van Andel Arena
7/29 Milwaukee, WI Fiserv Forum
7/30 St. Louis, MO Enterprise Center
8/1 Rosemont, IL Allstate Arena
8/2 Saint Paul, MN Xcel Energy Center
8/3 Omaha, NE CHI Health Center
8/5 Kansas City, MO T-Mobile Center
8/7 Denver, CO Ball Arena
8/9 Las Vegas, NV MGM Grand Garden Arena
8/10 San Diego, CA Viejas Arena
8/11 Phoenix, AZ Footprint Center
8/14 Austin, TX Moody Center
8/15 Fort Worth, TX Dickies Arena
8/16 Houston, TX Toyota Center
9/24 Mexico City, MX Palacio de los Deportes
9/25 Mexico City, MX Palacio de los Deportes
