LIVE REVIEW: Ghost @ The Royal Albert Hall, London
Without question, The Royal Albert Hall is a venue of utmost prestige. There’s something about it, even when approaching from the outside, that exudes a thrill of occasion; that what is about to be witnessed within its circular walls is of the highest quality and will be talked about for years to come. Tonight is no different; GHOST are in town with the beginning of A Pale Tour Named Death, bringing no support and a two-part show that is generating a colossal buzz, only broken slightly by the disdain from the merch desks as the event shirts sell out way too quickly.
When all are safely gathered in and the lights go down however, the upset over new clothing vanishes as seven Nameless Ghouls appear on stage and tear into Rats, the crackle in the air now growing into a full-blown thunder that pops as Tobias Forge, now in his guise as Cardinal Copia, strides out for GHOST‘s biggest show on these shores and immediately enchants his congregation. For the next hour he is on spell-binding form, the closest thing possible to a metal Freddie Mercury as he pirouettes a feverent Royal Albert Hall through the likes of Con Clavi Con Dio, Cirice and a gorgeous acoustic rendition of Jigolo Har Megiddo that is enhanced even further by the sumptuous acoustics and magnitude of the occasion. No prizes for the true highlight of act one though, for the cheers that greets a saxophone-playing, shades-wearing Papa Nihil at the end of a vibrant Miasma threaten to take the roof off.
If the first half of the show is superb, the second is pure nirvana. Spirit is a strong enough opener but the triple salvo of From the Pinnacle to the Pit, Faith and Year Zero is an unreal run of songs that goes to show just how strong GHOST‘s back catalogue now is and manages to up the tempo even more than before the 25 minute interval. He Is produces a raucous sing-a-long, Mummy Dust (introduced by Forge as “our only heavy rock song”) comes with confetti cannons and plenty of headbanging and then there’s the stupidly brilliant triplet of tracks that close the main set. If You Have Ghosts is made all the better by Forge introducing every member of the band as Ghoul to loud applause, a full throttle Dance Macabre is every bit of fun it should be and the glorious Square Hammer rubber stamps GHOST‘s utter triumph tonight in London before they’ve even come back out for their customary encore of the majestic Monstrance Clock to send everyone home happy.
This is one of those nights that will forever be etched in the memories of those in attendance and lamented by those that weren’t. It’s clearer than ever that GHOST will headline Download Festival one day and, on the basis of the spectacle they’ve just produced, it’ll be within the next five years to boot. Unto us, a legend is born; unto us, an icon is delivered, and we see that it is very good indeed.
Rating: 10/10