Las Vegas had their taints tickled, hard. Booties were jiggled. Much wow!
If you think what I’m saying is absurd, then you’ve clearly never seen the Cardinal Copia hype a crowd.
This was my 1st experience with Ghost, somewhat surprisingly. I missed them in 2012 when they opened for Opeth. That was my fault. So it was nice to cross this one off the list.
So what does a Ghost performance offer? It’s a bit like King Diamond and Cradle of Filth visually, but in 1978 musically. Or perhaps you could compare it to KISS without all the fire? It’s a theatrical spectacle that never gets too out of control or too heavy.
In a fairly short amount of time, this band (or project? Since Tobias Forge is the head of it all) went from a curious anomaly in the Rock/Metal world, to being a headlining major act. It’s been an interesting ride to say the least. Not only are they headlining this tour, but it’s just them playing for 2 1/2 hours (with a 15 minute intermission). 26 songs total, not counting the intro tracks, spanning their 4 albums and 2 EP’s. That’s pretty impressive.
They knocked out the “hits” like Year Zero, Cirice, From the Pinnacle to the Pit, He is, Majesty, Square Hammer, Rats, and Dance Macabre. The Joint here in Vegas was packed and enjoyed every last second of this Swedish powerhouse of melodic hard rock. You don’t even have to be a rock fan to enjoy this show, I would say. There’s enough stuff going on to keep anybody enthused with what they’re watching.
The main man, Cardinal Copia, changed outfits several times throughout the 2 acts, and I’ll be damned if he wasn’t a handsome sumbitch. Even with his death mask. But truthfully though, he’s got a hell of a stage presence with comedy, timing, and very purposeful body movement and gestures. It’s all very well thought out with precision. Tobias has dedicated a lot to ensure that this continues growing without losing any of its integrity.
I’d suggest watching them. There’s no doubt they’ll be back with an even bigger show, I’m sure.
Review by Marcus Miller, Photos by Christina Rosenfeld
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