The Ghost live Experience: A Pale Tour Named Death
By Devin Shea
Just like we did with Rats on the Road, we experienced the Pale Tour Named Death tour with Ghost for you and it was even better than the last.
There’s something about traveling hours to see a band. I did it earlier this year during the Rats on the Road tour and I did it again for A Pale Tour Named Death. All of this was done to see the Swedish metal band, Ghost.
There are some bands that put on a show and there are some bands put on a PERFORMANCE. Ghost is one of those bands and I trekked the pink highways of Iowa and Nebraska all the way to the Orpheum theater in Omaha to share my experience of the most recent North American tour (the second this year) with you lovely readers and fellow metal heads. So, get the horns ready ‘cause we’re about to rock like it’s Friday (because it was on a Tuesday).
Image by D.D. Crowley
The best way to tell you about this experience is to compare it to their St. Louis show on their last tour. While they had some differences, the bones of the show are the same and that’s where it all starts. First let’s compare set lists.
A Pale Tour Named Death Rats on the Road
1. Ashes 1. Ashes
2. Rats 2. Rats
3. Absolution 3. Absolution
4. Ritual 4. Ritual
5. Con Clavi Con Dio 5. Con Clavi Con Dio
6. Per Aspera ad Inferi 6. Per Aspera ad Inferi
7. Devil Church 7. Devil Church
8. Cirice 8. Cirice
9. Miasma 9. Stand by Him
10. Jigolo Har Megiddo 10. Miasma
11. Pro Memoria 11. Jigolo Har Megiddo
12. Witch Image 12. Pro Memoria
13. Life Eternal 13. Deus in Absentia
14. Spirit 14. Spirit
15. From the Pinnacle to the Pit 15. From the Pinnacle to the Pit
16. Majesty 16. Faith
17. Satan Prayer 17. Year Zero
18. Faith 18. He Is
19. Year Zero 19. Prime Mover
20. He Is 20. Mummy Dust
21. Mummy Dust 21. If You Have Ghosts
22. If You Have Ghosts 22. Dance Macabre
23. Dance Macabre 23. Square Hammer
24. Square Hammer 24. Monstrance Clock
25. Monstrance Clock
Photo by D.D. Crowley
Be aware, that the set list may slightly differ from location to location. It is fairly similar to the previous tour but the inclusion of more songs from Prequelle makes it stand out, especially with “Witch Image.” It may be one of the most underrated songs on the album and I literally screamed when the intro came on.
There were two glaring differences in the shows that had nothing to do with the set list: the crowd and the band. The crowd at a concert like this matters and can either raise or lower the energy of the show. This crowd was much older than the one before it, so the energy was considerably mellow. However, the energy of the band more than made up for it.
During Rats on the Road, I saw Ghost right at the end of the tour so Cardinal Copia wasn’t as flamboyant as he normally is during shows. Since A Pale Tour Named Death just started, every band member was outstanding. Every Ghoul and Ghuleh (or Ghoulette depending on who you ask) kicked ass and played like I have never seen before.
Every one of them is ridiculously talented but the lead guitar Ghoul absolutely killed it. The talent and energy emanating from that Ghoul washed over the crowd and it was practically intoxicating. Cardinal Copia was his usual fabulous self and there was a lot of butt slapping, gyrating and insinuations with the microphone stand: always a crowd favorite. In quieter moments, I would watch the dynamic between Ghouls behind Cardi C, and it was adorable in its own right.
Photo by D.D. Crowley
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I do feel slightly bad for the one in charge of the lighting effects because they just couldn’t keep up at times. Lights would shut off before cue or be in the wrong place, but the band took it in stride. While the backdrop of Papa Nihil on stained glass was the same, the light show during the concert was better than the last. It seems like the light shone more on the audience than before which made us feel more involved.
It’s no surprise that Ghost was amazing live. I have never seen them do badly. Even when things go wrong, the band takes it in stride and never misses a step. Plus, it is evident how much they value their fans. During the last tour, Ghost began to talk to fans during the show about how they may feel alone but are never truly alone.
During this tour, they expanded the message to include how everything changes. Cardinal Copia talked about how when you cut your finger, it hurts and you may even need stitches and it will burn and sting like hell for a while. One day you will look at your finger and see a scar but it doesn’t hurt anymore and he wanted to remind us all that nothing stays the same forever and what hurts now will just be a past memory one day. It was such a beautiful message to leave us with after an amazing show.
Photo by D.D. Crowley
You can see the rest of the North American tour dates here and the European tour dates in our Chapter 4 and Chapter 5 articles. If you can see Ghost during A Pale Tour Named Death, do it. I cannot recommend it enough. Buy your ticket, dance with death and party like its Friday no matter what day of the week it is.
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Fan of the amazing Ghost. Catching the Swedish band on their A Pale Tour Named Death tour? Let the other ghosts and ghouls know what you think in the comment section below. New to Ghost? We made a list for you of the 25 best songs they’ve ever made.