Photo of Ghost’s Papa V Perpetua by Bryan J. Sutter
There was a moment during Ghost’s performance here in St. Louis on July 30th at Enterprise Center where I had a rather striking revelation. This was my 6th time seeing the Swedish heavy rock band live, and my 4th time photographing them. I remember that their first few St. Louis shows were quite a bit of fun, and despite having gained a respectable amount of acclaim very quickly, they were still very much an underdog in 2014 and 2015. I did feel like some parts of the band’s presentation was not fully fleshed out, either by time or lack of resources. Here, in 2025, watching Papa Perpetua pace across a massive multi-tiered stage in his bejeweled mask as a packed area sang with him to “Cirice,” I wondered if I was seeing the vision that was in mind all along.
Personally, I have felt that the band’s apex, musically speaking, came a decade ago with 2015’s Meloria. The album’s mix of clever lyrics and memorable guitar riffs has cemented it as one of the most important metal records of the last decade. Even Ghost’s most recent release, Skeletá, was overshadowed by Meloria on the setlist. The new record isn’t bad, and it certainly has moved a notable amount of units for a rock record in this day and age since its release in April. However, it hasn’t really gripped me outside of tracks like “Satanized” and “Lachryma.”
So you may wonder: if the new record is just fine, why see Ghost on this tour? Well, you’re still getting to experience one of the most entertaining tours of the year. While Tobias Forge’s Papa V Perpetua is the least talkative so far of the band’s fictional frontmen, I found myself incredibly impressed with how much Ghost’s live show has grown since I last saw them in 2018 at the Stifel Theatre. The rest of the band, known as the Nameless Ghouls, have become a sort of mischievous presence on stage, with each Ghoul worthy of having their own K-pop style fancams. Watching the two vocalist Ghoulettes shimmy alongside a Ghoul as he crushes a guitar solo, then catching another putting their entire body into a synth part is a blast. One may tease another, or hype another up, before a song’s big moment. While Papa may not be in the forefront like he has been in the past, this is the most engaging version of Ghost that I have had the pleasure of seeing live. It probably doesn’t hurt that many of the Ghouls have now been in the band for multiple album cycles and tours, and there is rare energy that comes from the stage through this kinship.
The setlist itself was stellar. Ghost’s catalog has an exceptional hit rate and in St. Louis we got maybe the ideal collection from the Swedish group. Older songs like “Ritual” and “Year Zero” sound fresh and huge in an arena setting. “He Is” and the previously-mentioned “Cirice” from Meloria were a definite highlight, with the packed room singing along like they were at a folk punk show. All eras of the band were well represented, and my only real complaint was that maybe the setlist starts off a little slow, though one could argue that this creates a buildup that pays off nicely when rounding off the first third of the set.
For this tour, cell phones are not allowed during the performance. Even for press like myself. I must admit, it was refreshing to not have that distraction on me. To be more present and engaged was its own reward, even if it meant I did not have my main medium for recording notes. It was also refreshing to not see a crowd watch most of a performance through the screens of their own smartphones. It would be nice if we didn’t have to lock up our phones in little bags at a show and just decided to not do that so often.
The set ended, maybe predictably, with “Kiss the Go-Goat,” “Mummy Dust,” and “Monstrance Clock.” While I don’t particularly care for “Mummy Dust,” it was still a great performance and Ghost really leaned into the retro ’60s vibe of “Kiss the Go-Goat” in a way that is almost impossible to not enjoy. “Monstrance Clock” has been a consistent set closer for Ghost for as long as I can remember. It also feels like the quintessential Ghost song: Satanic lyrics, memorable melodies, a cool synth lead part, and a chorus that feels devilishly fun to sing along. To be in the Bible Belt and witness an arena of people chant “come together, together as one/come together, for Lucifer’s son” like it was Sunday service was a trip. Even more so when it feels like the band, in some respects, has been slowly moving away from the more pointed elements of the sacrilegious subject matter as time goes on to be more welcomed in the mainstream. I didn’t check, but I get the feeling they’re not selling the upside-down cross Papa dildoes at the merch booths anymore.
The encore was one of the best I’ve experienced in some time, hitting a trio consisting of some of the best work in the band’s discography. “Mary on a Cross,” a surprise crossover hit that went viral a few years on Tiktok, hit just right. “Dance Macabre” has maybe aged the best out of all the singles from the Copia/Papa IV era of Ghost, and here at the Enterprise Center it was a highlight. Of course, the evening ended with “Square Hammer,” a song that started as something of a B-side but became Ghost’s breakout hit nearly a decade ago. It’s such a killer song, with some very cool guitar parts and melodies, the sort of music I’m sure has inspired more than a few bored teenagers to pick up an instrument. It was a lovely moment, and a great way to end the night.
As someone who has been documenting live music for over 15 years and who has dipped their toes in various parts of the industry in that time, one of the unfortunate things that comes with my experience is that you kind of get a bit numb. You can appreciate a great performance from a band you love, but there’s a certain level of engagement and excitement that’s hard to reach when you know how the sausage is made. However, I have never walked away from a Ghost performance without feeling that sense of enthusiasm that I had when I started out so many years ago. This is to say, in so many words, if you have never attended a Ghost ritual in your town, you owe it to yourself to buy the ticket and take the ride. On the Skeletour, they’re the best they’ve ever been. | Bryan J. Sutter
