What an absolutely incredible night. Incredible experience. Incredible concert. I’ve mentioned this before, but I heard about Ghost years ago from my friend, Mike. It wasn’t until my cousin Matt sent me the video to Cirice that I thought, ooh I like this!

Then I heard Square Hammer my appreciation started going up. I saw them open for Iron Maiden back in 2017 and I think I was hooked by then. If not at that moment, then certainly when I heard Rats for the first time.

Between that time I was able to see them twice. One time in Boston in 2018 and one time in Worcester back in 2022. By that time I was in love and pretty sure this was one of my favorite bands. Easily my favorite band of the last 10+ years.

If tonight’s concert showed me one thing – it’s that Ghost has outgrown those venues that I saw them in. They are easily an headlining arena act now. DCU Center in Worcester is an arena, but it’s not one of the major ones like TD Garden is. And that is where this band belongs.

Well, until they ascend to stadiums….

This show was different because it was the first time I’ve been to a concert that was a “phone free” experience. How do they do that? Well, they ask for your phone when you walk in and put it in a pouch that you can’t open. If you want your phone, you can leave the arena area and someone will unlock it.

My guess is that is what slowed the incredibly long line we were in.

I’d never seen a line like this outside TD Garden and as time wore on, we were definitely nervous that we were going to miss the beginning of the show. It did allow me snap a few shots of folks dressed up.

It was almost 8:00pm and we still were not inside when one of the security guards said “the show is starting – fill in” once we hit the main entrance of the Garden. So this entire line was pretty meaningless and we were pretty pissed off.

It wasn’t until we got inside, took care of our phones (by the way, nobody was checking if we had a phone or if we had two phones. I could have probably walked right by…ran right by), and I hit the escalator that I ran.

Then my brother said, “It hasn’t started yet. Do you hear anything?”

I still ran to my seat and was out of breath – but we made it with minutes to spare. The guy sitting next to me was in full make-up and I was like, dammit I wish I could take a picture with you!

I will say, once the show started, it felt like we were right on top of them as we were first row in the balcony – and not having the phone to distract me, to check the setlist (I avoided it at all costs) or to think, I should take a pic or a video of that – it made the show a better time. Sure, people sneak phones and videos in – but I made sure not to watch anything on YouTube prior to our show. The photo above is from this show – I’m just glad they had their photographer there to snap some shots

For me, It made the show like the old concerts where I have no photos or videos of. I just have the memory of the experience.

And this was an experience.

No opening act. 22 songs. All killer. No filler. The stage/setting was incredible. Papa/Tobias/V, whatever you want to call him – he’s a god damn superstar. It’s crazy because, we all know it’s him – but I still can’t picture the Tobias I see in interviews as the Papa we see on stage. I love that.

He’s a showman and a ring leader, and they delivered with a bunch of newer songs off the latest albums, a bunch of older, tentpole songs, and a few rarities I’ve never heard.

I’ve been looking forward to this concert for a long time, and now that it’s over all I can think about is – what is next for Ghost?

Whatever it is – count me in.