It appears that the era of Papa Emeritus IV fronting GHOST is drawing to a close
According to the enigmatic figure himself, during GHOST‘s performance at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre in Brisbane, Australia on October 5, he announced that the show marked his final appearance on stage.
“It’s a big night in so many ways,” said Emeritus IV to the audience. “I’m going to let you accompany me, you can stay where you are and I’m going to go have a little bit of a drink over here. I know a lot of people are expecting some sort of explosion, implosion, a miracle where I just dissapear in favor of a successor.
“I’m going to take this ice cube and I’m going to put it down my pants. I usually don’t do that, but that is to make me feel a little bit better because now I’m focusing on that and not on you. Just in case you thought I was pissing myself, which I’m sure would have been the great finale. But you know what? This finale, it’s just going to be my last show, and I’m going to do my best to deliver that show to you and that would just have to be enough, okay?”
GHOST has been dropping hints about the conclusion of Papa Emeritus IV‘s chapter for some time now, although they’ve never quite come out and explicitly stated it. One notable moment was in October 2022 when Mr. Salterian addressed Papa Emeritus IV during the band’s ongoing storyline, alluding to the scheduled shows and implying that the end was drawing near. Additionally, in a video from February of this year, there was a clear visual of Saltarian maneuvering a new casket, all while Emeritus and Sister Imperator engaged in conversation.
All these signs strongly suggest that the next phase of GHOST is on the horizon.
In related news, Tobias Forge, the frontman of GHOST, recently announced that footage from the band’s performances at the Forum in Inglewood, California will be incorporated into an upcoming film project.
“When I first started putting it together, I was, like, ‘Oh my god, I’m going to faint because there’s so much to think about,’” Forge told Metal Hammer magazine. “Then it was, like, ‘No, no, just don’t think about it at all.’”
Both GHOST‘s performances at the Forum strictly enforced a no-device policy. Attendees were not allowed to use phones or smartwatches within the performance area. Upon arrival at the venue, all electronic devices were securely placed in individual Yondr pouches, which were only opened at the conclusion of the event.
“I have never seen a crowd interact the way that they did since I was in a club band,” Forge said. “They were the best shows I’ve ever done with GHOST, just because I didn’t have to see those fucking mobile phones.”
Tobias went on to say that GHOST was “essentially shooting a film. And we used two nights of crowds as extras,” he explained. “It’s going to be a film with a concert element. So a lot of what you experienced [at the two L.A. shows] is going to be part of this project.”