By “Tampa” Earl Burton
Live Review: Ghost’s Skeletour World Tour – Amalie Arena, Tampa, Florida – July 12, 2025
A long time ago, the late Jimmy Buffett uttered the famous line, “There’s a thin line between Saturday night and Sunday morning.” On Saturday night at Amalie Arena in Tampa, that line was blurred beyond recognition as the hard rock band Ghost stepped onto the stage. Over a two-hour performance, Ghost gathered the masses, believers and cynics, for a bombastic show heavy on imagery and performance.
Visual and Aural Excellence from Ghost
From the start of the show, there was an air of mystery surrounding the stage – literally. The performance arena was completely shrouded in a black curtain, with Gregorian-sounding chants being played for the audience. This is not at all what you would normally see at a rock show, but it was more than appropriate for Ghost and his “Nameless Ghouls” (more on this in a bit) to bring their spirited show to an appreciative sellout crowd.
It was a sellout, 17,000-plus strong in Amalie Arena, but I do not know why they bothered selling seats…nobody used them for the entirety of the two-hour experience! From the moment that “Ghost” stepped behind the mic and opened with “Peacefield,” the crowd would erupt in a frenzy for the band, something that would not subside for the entire evening. That roar only intensified as the band launched into their current hit, “Lacryma.”
The excitement of the audience only intensified in their adoration as Ghost – Tobias Forge, the Swedish founder and leader of the band – went through a litany of their hits. “From the Pinnacle to the Pit” and “Call Me Little Sunshine” were particularly noteworthy efforts, and Forge and his band gave the crowd a show they would not soon forget. Papa V Perpetua would grace the audience with his presence, but the show was very much focused on Forge and the “Nameless Ghouls” behind him.
More needs to be said about these musicians because they provided an outstanding show in support of Forge. In the past, the “Nameless Ghouls” were just that, unidentified until they had left the group. Today, we know a VERY little bit about the musicians who join the show, and they deserve recognition for their excellence. Both Per Eriksson and Randy Moore were blistering on their guitar work, while Hayden Scott (drums) and Cos Sylvan (bassist) held the floor for the band. A couple of “Ghoulettes” were also notable, with Laura Scarborough (keyboards and vocals), Gabriela Guncikova (backing vocals) and Olivia Morrelea, all bringing it with their fabulous performances.
There was not a dull moment in the program. The staging was stimulating and well-done, and Ghost provided the catalog of music that matched their surroundings. The band wrapped up the evening with a triumvirate of tunes that have been a huge part of new rock for the past few years – “Mary on a Cross,” “Dance Macabre,” and “Square Hammer” finished off the encore – and the fans did not want to end the sermon. The band didn’t seem to want to, either, as they lingered on the stage, soaking in the adoration of the crowd, with the theatrical Forge and the band joining hands at the end for a deep bow of salute to the crowd.
Fans as Much of the Show as the Band
There were a couple of notable things to point out regarding the show, other than the excellent performance from Ghost.
First, the dedication of the Ghost fans was admirable in that they truly engaged with the proceedings. A sizeable number of fans, both male and female, showed up in full regalia, either decked out in nuns’ habits or as leaders of the macabre in priestly vestments. This only served to accentuate the show and showed the dedication of the fans – called “The Congregation” – towards their favorite band.
Second, this was the first time I had attended a show where cellphones were not a part of the proceedings. Before entering the arena, every cellphone was locked in what was called a YONDR bag, a magnetic pouch that could not be opened. If you did open it, you were not long for the show as Amalie Arena, in keeping with other outlets that have hosted Ghost, would eject you from the building.
I would usually use my phone during a show to jot down notes for my assignments with Rock at Night, but I adhered to the rules like everyone else. And guess what? It ADDED to my enjoyment of the show! This was the rule for everyone as they seemed to be much more engaged with what was occurring on the stage rather than capturing it with their cellphones. Although there was a little bit of chaos in getting the YONDR pouches opened after the show (work on that, Amalie), I would not mind if MORE concerts did this – it made that much of a difference in the show and my enjoyment of it.
Ghost is continuing on their North American tour (the band just finished up a European swing in May, and the Tampa show was the second stop of this “Skele-Tour 2025”) with upcoming stops in Raleigh, NC, Cleveland, OH, and Pittsburgh, PA, over the next week. If you get a chance to catch Ghost, with no opening act and a full two-hour show, you should be booking the ticket now. It is a spectacle of stagecraft, excellence in musicianship, and it is all tied together by the spirit of Tobias Forge – or is that Ghost?
You decide…
PHOTO GALLERY
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