Black to the Future Tour
April 20th, 2016
Omaha, Ne
Sokol Auditorium
Ghost
Tribulation
It’s always a pleasure to see a show at Sokol Auditorium. The intimate, historic venue has hosted thousands of bands over the past two decades, many in front of sold out crowds. Tonight would be no exception. Ghost were returning to Omaha for their Black to the Future tour. It had been a few years since Ghost had brought their message to Omaha, and their congregation was ready receive the band’s blessings during the Black to the Future tour. Swedish death metal band Tribulation would open the night’s show. The quartet, having formed in Arvika in 2005, have used the past decade to hone their musical skills and perfect their stage show. The band’s half hour set was included tracks from their debut release The Horror, and sophomore release The Formulas of Death. Even though the majority of Sokol’s crowd were unfamiliar with Tribulation’s music, they slammed and moshed with rampant abandon. Swedish Death metal at its finest. What you need to keep in mind when seeing European bands when they tour the U.S. is that live music is more of a religious experience for their native fans, and the bands never fail to raise expectations with each live show. The fans of those bands have a totally different standard for those musicians, and those expectations carry over across the cultural barriers. It’s not just a matter of standing on stage and performing songs. The bands create a full performance; audio, visual, spiritual, and draws their fans fully into the show. The band’s Eastern European musical style is dark and gothic in nature. Ghost are no exception. Imagine the band laying the soundtrack for 1922’s Nosferatu, all the while serenading Satan on his infernal throne. Ghost formed in Linkoping, Sweden in 2008 as Ghost B.C., a collective of musicians who wanted to remain anonymous and focus solely on their music. While the Nameless Ghouls still remain anonymous, their identities still largely unknown by their fans, it’s wonderful to hear fan theories as to who’s behind the Ghoul’s masks. With the stage curtains still closed, the house lights were extinguished and Miserere mei, Dues began to play. The track, based on a setting of Psalm 51 (50) by Italian composer Gregorio Allegri, calmly bled into Jocelyn Pook’s Masked Ball, Ghost’s signature introduction track and would herald the return of the band to Omaha. Using Masked Ball as their intro track for the Black to the Future tour served multiple aural purposes. The track features the backwards Latin chanting symbolic of Ghost’s anti organized religion message and blends perfectly into Spirit. Papa Emeritus III, the band’s current vocalist, has an air of Elizabethian nobility around him. As with his predecessors, Papa Emeritus III is a master of the cabaret performance. Papa began the band’s 17 song set dressed in the gluttonous papal robes of an arch bishop, a blasphemy to the Christian faith. The band’s time on stage was choreographed to perfection. As Papa paced across the stage anointing the fans with each track the band played, the Nameless Ghouls; Aether/Omega (guitarist), Earth (Drummer), Air (keyboardist), Water (bassist), Fire/Alpha (guitarist), were given the opportunity to showcase each of their musical talents. The production level of the band’s performance showed how much the band had evolved since their early touring days. It had been almost 3 years since the band had made their Omaha debut while touring with Avenged Sevenfold and Deftones on the Hail to the King Tour, and Papa made a point to thank the crowd for being so supportive “this early in our relationship.” The band’s message continues to remain true to their Satanic roots. Since their inception, Ghost has done more to bring their blasphemous psalms to the world more than any band since Marilyn Manson burst on to the music scene with the band’s 1996 release of Antichrist Superstar. Ghost’s unholy amalgam of sultry melodies, thrashing metal riffs, and sticky-sweet hooks capture tonight’s crowd, enveloping them in the darkness of Ghost’s majesty. The band’s set list was selected from each of their 3 full length albums, and highlighted their musical growth. While fans of the band’s debut release were drawn to Papa’s horror laced voice in Ritual, and the thundering riffs of Con Clavi Con Dio, Ghost’s Omaha congregation raised their voices in unison for the cuts off of their sophomore album; especially during Year Zero, and the band’s encore of Monstrance Clock. The highlight of the evening though was the incredible response to Cirice. The track had won the band a 2016 Grammy for Best Rock Performance, and was the track most familiar with the audience. At one point the fan’s singing the chorus nearly drown out Papa’s own voice.
Without a doubt, Ghost have earned their place in the ever growing Pantheon of musicians who will continue to inspire their fans.
Setlist: Spirit, From the Pinnacle to the Pit, Stand by Him, Con Clavi Con Dio, Per Aspera ad Inferi, Body and Blood, Devil Chruch, Cirice, Year Zero, Spöksonat, He Is, Absolution, Mummy Dust, If You Have Ghosts (Roky Erickson), Ghuleh/Zombie Queen, Ritual, Encore: Monstrance Clock
Tracks by Album:
Meliora 7
Ifestissumam 5
Opus Eponymous 3
Covers 1
