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| Ghost @ the Golden 1 Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Ghost lead singer, creator and visionary Tobias Forge stirred up quite a bit of intrigue for fans of the band heading into Friday night's packed Skeletour 2026 concert at Sacramento's Golden 1 Center. In a to-be-published interview with Sweden Rock Magazine (indeed it may even be published by the time you are reading this coverage), Forge announced that Ghost would be taking a long pause as soon as the 2026 tour had concluded. After the Sacramento show, only two Southern California dates remained, and the question remained unanswered if this show could in fact be the end of the band's 20-year run.
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| Ghost @ the Golden 1 Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Formed in 2006 as a Swedish "theater band", Forge remains the only uniquely recognizable band member as he performs surrounded by a band of "Nameless Ghouls." Though Forge originally only wanted to play guitar, after being turned down by multiple potential vocalists, he stepped up and then some as he became the face and voice of the band with a unique style and flair for approachable theatricality in concert. The band's rise over the last decade has seen their music evolve from an origin of death metal into a sound that injects pop and arena-worthy anthems into their firmly heavy base. It's a successful evolution that has carried them to Grammy nominations, topping the Billboard charts and headlining arenas throughout the world.
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| Ghost @ the Golden 1 Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
The Skeletour began in April of 2025 and carried on Ghost's theme of a satanic takeover of the papacy. In concert, Forge had taken on different versions of church leader Papa Emeritus since 2010 — starting with Emeritus I through 2012 and finishing with Emeritus IV in 2025. This tour introduced Papa V Perpetua a year earlier in February 2025 (OK, if you are a true Ghost aficionado, Saxophonist Papa Nihil did don the robes from 2018-2020 as a predecessor). Each of the Papas suffered a death before their replacement came in. Originally each of the "Nameless Ghouls" represented one of the five elements and so were referred to as "fire", "water" etc. There has been some public debate as to whether the backing members' faceless anonymity was to promote focus on art over personalities or to make them easily replaceable. But indeed, Forge himself was not identified and singled out until 2017 and band member identification seems to be a popular sport on the internet with few lineup changes since Covid.
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| Ghost @ the Golden 1 Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
This desire for the audience to focus on the art was on full display at Golden 1 as the Yondr system was used where cell phones were placed in pouches and not allowed to be used in the arena. It was my first time attending a concert with these requirements and while it forced me into trying to take and somehow later decipher notes handwritten in the dark, the concertgoing experience was incredibly refreshing. Concertgoers seemed much more involved in the show and interacting with band members than the usual sea of phones being held up for videos that will likely never be seen again. However, I must admit that several times I reached for my phone and it was truly an odd feeling to spend the 120+ minutes without accessing it.
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| Ghost @ the Golden 1 Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
The concert began with a dark shredded curtain in front with lights out and only Forge seen singing "Peacefield" on the side video screens. As the curtains dropped and blinding white backlights blasted forward with an audience on their feet, it was striking to see all the arms up in the air with not a single phone in sight. Shortly Forge emerged in character with his black tuxedo jacket, gloves and striking silver mask. The band performed against a flat backdrop of only lighting and their set for the first three songs (we were allowed to photograph "Peacefield", "Lachryma" and "Spirit").
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| Ghost @ the Golden 1 Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Despite the lack of flashy backdrop or video behind them, the energy and theatricality of Ghost more than compensated for it. While the audience could not see the faces of the "Nameless Ghouls", the band members were in constant motion, and their exaggerated physical expressions and posturing pushed their distinct and over-the-top personalities forward and connected deeply with a completely focused audience.
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| Ghost @ the Golden 1 Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
By the time they played their 2015 hit "Cirice" about eight songs in, the crowd remained on its feet as Ghost performed beneath a giant church backdrop of stained glass with demonic figures in the panes. "Darkness at the Heart of My Love" began with the band and audience snapping along with the beat and then saw dramatic fog creating an illusion that the background singers and keyboards were playing precariously above an abyss. "Satanized" off their latest album seemed to be the most energetic and enthusiastic moment for the band in the main set with Forge telling the crowd "We are going to find out how Satanized you are here in Sacramento!"
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| Ghost @ the Golden 1 Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Forge left the stage much more frequently than most lead singers — not just for costume changes, but seemingly to allow the rest of his band members to share in the spotlight as the three string players did taking center stage under purple light during "Umbra". For "Year Zero" Forge emerged in full papal robes and hat as Papa V Perpetua with the band almost ceasing to move until allowed by their leader. Steam cannons were supplemented by a large amount of pyro for the biggest visual production of the night.
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| Ghost @ the Golden 1 Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
For "He Is" the demonic figures in the stained-glass background were replaced by smiling, hippie-like faces and Forge changed out of the papal robes and into a gold tuxedo jacket for "Rats". After an intro lamenting that they would not be able to stay the night in Sacramento and an audience participation exchange urged on by blown kisses, Forge and Ghost delivered "Kiss the Go-Goat" in a style that was reminiscent of Jane's Addiction and more disco than death metal. Under Forge's hand, the song became a joyous incantation for the packed arena.
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| Ghost @ the Golden 1 Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
"Mummy Dust" and "Monstrance Clock" finished out the main set. As the band exited the stage, the screens continued to show the chorus of "Come together, together as one" again and again until Forge emerged for the encore. "We keep a few bangers until the end for the people that stay," he told the still nearly intact crowd. "Mary on the Cross" led off the encore, followed by a version of "Dance Macabre" that would have been completely at home in a club. The band ended the night with the traditional closer of "Square Hammer" to send the Sacramento audience home having seen one of the last Ghost concerts for the foreseeable future.
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