Last Friday night, Swedish metal band Ghost, performed to a sold out crowd at the Moore Theatre in Seattle. This show was promoted by NW show promoter Mike Thrasher Presents.
It’s been a year since Swedes last performed in Seattle. Last trip, they performed at the small El Corazon venue to what seemed like an oversold crowd where fans were upset and leaving by the third song because it was so overly packed people couldn’t fit through the door to see the stage. This time around, the band picked the larger Moore Theatre venue in downtown Seattle. To many fans dismay, this show sold out within just a few months of tickets going on sale. Those who delayed thinking they would have time found themselves without a ticket to this years ritual.
Fans lined up early to get into the venue. As I approached, the line was wrapping the side of the theatre and curling onto the next city block. What an awesome show of dedication by the many fans who stood out in the cold, windy rain that blew in as the doors were about to open. This show was packed with fans of all ages of the metal religion who came to witness the Ghost ritual in person. To the delight of the fans, this show was not missing the nuns this time around.
First up for the night was Marissa Nadler. She stepped out in a floor length gothic yet elegant black dress and onto a very dimly lit stage along with her keyboard/guitar player and her guitar. The best way to describe her music style would be ethereal, gothic, dream state style. Very slow and melancholy with a dark and sad essence about the pain and struggles in life. To me I found her performance and style an odd pairing as the opener for Ghost who are much more of metal sound and many fans that I talked to said the same thing. I wouldn’t say don’t see Marissa on tour, just expect that her music is not what you will expect as an opener with someone like Ghost. Had I have been at a goth show, I would completely have expected to see her artistic styling, but this is Ghost after all and they like to stretch the boundaries and art is art. Great for them to introduce her to so many new fans.
After the intermission the theatre filled up quickly. No one wanted to be late or miss a moment of the Ghost show. For any who has been to one of their shows before, you know that the show is full of theatrics and that you want to see every moment of as it adds to the show and builds through the evening up to the finale. This year was no different. There were many fans who’d never seen the band perform live before discussing how excited they where to see the show this year. Well Ghost gave them a great initiation!
The show started off with “Square Hammer” from their 2016 release ‘Popestar’, some flash bangs and on into “From the Pinnacle to the Pit” from the ‘Meloria’ more flash bands and fog. The stage was set for the evil, ghouls in abundance! As the show progressed the crowd was thrilled with the return of the nuns and the banter from Papa Emeritus III about not licking the nuns fingers or touching them, but then offering up to those in the balconies that they were free to lick and touch each other if that’s what they wanted to do. Papa took control of the situation by teasing the fans that were heckling from the balcony because they wanted to get up close and personal with the nuns. The night went on with more great music, lighting and then gold confetti mixed with Papa666 dollars during “Mummy Dust”, then ending with “Ritual” and one final encore of “Monstrance Clock”.
Having seen Ghost last year at Sweden Rock on a monster sized stage, I am hoping their next tour stop here in Seattle will be in an even bigger venue and on a much larger stage because the larger the stage the bigger the show they put on. Here’s hoping for bigger the next time around!
Ghost is on tour in North America through November 12th, so check the tour dates and get out to see them. You will have an amazing show!
Enjoy some show photos from Seattle and the setlist is included.
