It had been two long years since the last time Ghost played the Giant Center in Hershey, PA. On Wednesday night fans braved the cold temps and lined up early to catch the highly anticipated co-headlining tour with Volbeat. The 26-city tour kicked off on January 25 in Reno, at Nevada’s Reno Events Center and will make stops across the U.S. in Denver, Chicago, Dallas, and more before wrapping up in Anaheim, CA at the Honda Center on March 3. Volbeat are out touring in support of their eighth studio release, Servant of the Mind and Ghost are out in support of their upcoming release Impera set to be released on March 3rd. Tickets for the remaining tour dates can be purchased HERE, and pre-orders for Impera can be purchased HERE.
Starting things off for the night were Twin Temple who brought their unique signature style of satanic doo-wop to Hershey Pennsylvania. The duo of Alexandra and Zachary James led the crowd in a ritual before wowing them with a short six song set. As a fan I would liked to have seen a bit longer set but as an opener time is often limited. The set did include “Let’s Have a Satanic Orgy,” and “Satan’s a Woman” so not all was lost.
Following Twin Temple were co-headliners Volbeat. Volbeat are not one to disappoint, and they made sure not to disappoint on this night as well. The guys are out touring in support of their latest release Servant of the Mind, and the nights setlist saw a heavy dose of material from the album with “Temple of Ekur,” “Wait a Minute My Girl,” “Shotgun Blues,” “The Devil Rages On,’ and “The Sacred Stones” all making the list. Another highlight of the night’s setlist was “Say No More” being played for the first time live. The sixteen song setlist also included many fan favorites starting with “Seal the Deal,” and ending with “Still Counting.”
This tour sees Ghost playing larger arenas which allows them to put on some of their biggest and best productions so far in the states. The stage consists of a large cathedral with a backdrop depicting the various versions of Papa Emeritus immortalized in stained glass. Not only has the stage production grown but so has the number of Nameless Ghouls, which now number eight. Not only has the number of Nameless Ghouls changed but so has their look for the new album and tour.
As the lights dimmed the fans who had filled the Giant Center began to chant Papa as the intro “Imperium” began to play, and with a loud bang and some pyro the curtain dropped and Papa and the Nameless Ghouls took to the stage with “Kaisarion” giving fans the first taste of new music from Impera. From there they quickly transitioned to “Rats” and “From The Pinnacle To The Pit”.
One thing fans have come to love about a Ghost show is the witty banter from Papa between songs, and there was plenty of that thru out the night. The only other new songs that made the setlist for the night were “Hunter’s Moon,” and the Metallica cover of “Enter Sandman” I had hoped the latest single’ “Call Me Little Sunshine” would have made it but hopefully it will be included on the next leg of the tour.
At the end of “Ritual” fans were warmed up by several rounds of large plumes of fire that shot towards the roof of the arena. “Mummy Dust” had fans scrambling for the new Ghost currency which features Sister Imperator as confetti canons rained gold confetti and the bills over the fans. From there fans were treated to more production as the evening wrapped up with pyro at the conclusion of “Enter Sandman,” more confetti for “Dance Macabre,” and ending with a a curtain of sparks raining down at the conclusion of “Square Hammer”.
For any Ghost fan this is a must see tour, the Nameless Ghouls sound as good as ever and with the production this tour is a must see!
As a fan I can’t wait to get my hands on Impera when its released on March 11th, and to see how the live show continues to grow as the band gains more and more fans.
For those unlucky enough to catch one of the rituals in their hometown, tour merchandise can be purchased HERE for a limited time.
REMAINING TOUR DATES:
Fri Feb 11 – Worcester, MA – DCU Center
Sat Feb 12 – Camden, NJ – BB&T Pavilion
Mon Feb 14 – Pittsburgh, PA – Petersen Events Center
Tue Feb 15 – Toledo, OH – Huntington Center
Wed Feb 16 – Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
Fri Feb 18 – Chicago, IL – Allstate Arena
Sat Feb 19 – Cincinnati, OH – Heritage Bank Center
Sun Feb 20 – Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
Mon Feb 21 – St. Louis, MO – Chaifetz Arena
Wed Feb 23 – Independence, MO – Cable Dahmer Arena
Fri Feb 25 – Houston, TX – Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land
Sat Feb 26 – Dallas, TX – Fair Park Coliseum
Mon Feb 28 – El Paso, TX – Don Haskins Center
Tue Mar 01 – Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center
Thu Mar 03 – Anaheim, CA – Honda Center
See below for photo galleries and setlists.
For all things Ghost:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAOiVaJJlH0Oduv48NN0mMA
https://twitter.com/thebandGHOST
https://www.facebook.com/thebandghost
https://www.instagram.com/thebandghost/?hl=en
Twin Temple Setlist:
In Lvx
Sex Magick
Let’s Have a Satanic Orgy
Satan’s a Woman
I’m Wicked
In Nox
Volbeat Setlist:
Seal the Deal
Pelvis on Fire
Temple of Ekur
Lola Montez
Ring of Fire / Sad Man’s Tongue
Say No More (first time live)
Fallen
Wait a Minute My Girl
Black Rose
Shotgun Blues
The Devil’s Bleeding Crown
The Devil Rages On
Doc Holliday
The Sacred Stones
Die to Live
Still Counting
Ghost Setlist:
Kaisarion
Rats
From the Pinnacle to the Pit
Mary on a Cross
Devil Church
Cirice
Hunter’s Moon
Faith
Helvetesfönster
Year Zero
Ritual
Mummy Dust
Enter Sandman (Metallica cover)
Dance Macabre
Square Hammer
