By Lisa Burke
October 26th 2015, The Mayan, Los Angeles CA: Last Monday night at the Mayan theater in downtown Los Angeles, I attended Ghost’s sold-out show on ‘Black to the Future’ tour, which is partly in support of their newest studio album ‘Meloria’. The name could be a reference to the year Marty McFly travels into the future in the movie ‘Back To The Future’ which happens to be 2015, and also could be relative to time becoming all skewed with singer Papa Emeritus growing younger each time he reinvents his character. Regardless, we are now in 2015 with Papa Emeritus III, and the latest costumes for the five nameless ghouls comprise black uniforms and chromed silver mouthless face masks, with all five elements including Ether symbolized on the chest, while each has the specific element they represent highlighted.
Upon arrival to the Mayan theater, you pass through a metal detector which I have no recollection of passing through on my previous encounters to this theater. The irony here is that they don’t rummage through your belongings or frisk you, and it’s a metal show therefore everyone sets it off. Although I felt as if I was entering a courthouse, once on the other side I was proud of my metal blood heritage of setting it off with no repercussions, and was then time warped into an old revamped building with Mayan decor.
The show was packed at the start, and opening band Purson took the stage. They are a poppy psychedelic doomy band with a female vocalist and a very androgynous keyboard player. They definitely pull from vintage ideas but completely come across as a modern twisted version, and have a little bit of an Uncle Acid vibe with less catchy and slightly more generic melodies. Overall, they carried their own to the finish line, and the crowd was inspired and intrigued.
Close to 10:30, swedish metal band Ghost, formerly known as Ghost B.C. due to the rules America imposed upon them until they were able to drop B.C. and override it, attempted to take the stage. First, however, an old blond woman gave a mini-sermon that was part of their comical ritual, yet in my opinion could have gone on for a shorter duration. If I wanted to go to church of any kind, satanic or not, I would have done so instead of attending a Ghost show. Once Papa and his nameless ghouls took the stage however, I had already forgotten about the intro.
Because of them opening the set with ‘Spirit’ and ‘From The Pinnacle To The Pit’ off of ‘Meloria’, I should have been slightly less than thrilled due to their latest works being my least favorite, yet upon a live listen I have really grown to appreciate all Ghost old and new. Being that they dispersed the set well between old and new songs, and with Papa’s younger vibe being a new addition, I enjoyed it all, but ‘From The Pinnacle To The Pit’ is the least metal and least Ghost-worthy song in my opinion. When I first saw this band live a few years ago, I pictured them in their non-Satanic Pope attire and instead put them sans makeup in Hawaiian shirts in my mind. This is how you know the music is interesting and eclectic, when they can sound good in any outfit, yet the strong image concept that unindividualizes them enhanced their fame to a great degree. Dave Grohl is even rumored to have joined them on stage at one point undercover as a nameless ghoul because he produced their cover EP. I don’t really care if it’s true or not, but it does make you wonder who these members are, and then forget that it ultimately doesn’t matter because it is solely about the musical experience. I find it interesting observing the straight-laced unlikely Satan-worshipping audience members I always find at these shows. While satire is definitely relevant, satanic elements are still clearly present even when dubbed over rock ‘n roll riffs. Not judging a band on appearance is something you still don’t find in abundance, so to see that being acted upon was a relief and a bonus.
The levels on this night were very off as the vocals were low, and the bass was high as well as very commanding. No complaints otherwise as the sound itself was clear, but low-level vocals on a Satanic Pope ritual is a bit of a tragedy. They had a few spectacles with Nuns and a candelabra, as well as a giant ‘Monstrance Clock’ that Papa waved in front of the audience. I think the difference between old and new Ghost is that the old was spookier and more ritualistic mixed with heavy doom. On some ‘Meloria’ tracks I kept hearing some riffs that belonged in bands such as The Cars and Van Halen, and while this isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it does make for a confusing genre of music. Now with a band from Sweden, it’s interesting to note that when Papa III was giving his commentary between tracks he had a slight Antonio Banderas or Pablo Escobar accent happening in my opinion. They did close off the night after a 90-minute set with the proper European unison bow that only bands from Europe and surrounding countries usually give. It’s such considerate proper band etiquette that I wish America would follow more often. Is this the best Ghost show I’ve ever witnessed? I’m going to say probably not, however it was in line for the most interesting, and while I may prefer their heavier riffs and darker vibes, their range of diversity and modernization deserves to be respected. Jump on board the Ghost ship and go Black To The Future if you get the opportunity.
Set List:
01. Spirit
02. From the Pinnacle to the Pit
03. Ritual
04. Con Clavi Con Dio
05. Per Aspera ad Inferi
06. Majesty
07. Body and Blood
08. Devil Church
09. Cirice
10. Year Zero
11. Spöksonat
12. He Is
13. Absolution
14. Mummy Dust
15. Jigolo Har Megiddo (Acoustic)
16. Ghuleh/Zombie Queen
17. If You Have Ghosts (Roky Erickson cover)
Encore:
18. Monstrance Clock
Remaining Tour Dates:
10/30 – San Diego, CA @ Northside Park Theater
10/31 – Las Vegas, NV @ House Of Blues
11/01 – Phoenix, AZ @ Monster Mash Festival
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