TOBIAS FORGE On So-Called 'Phone Ban' During GHOST's Concerts: 'I Believe That More Bands Will Start Doing This'

During an appearance on this past Tuesday's (October 14) episode of Loudwire Nights, GHOST mastermind Tobias Forge was asked by host Chuck Armstrong if he is "getting tired" of explaining why the band's current world tour is mandating a no-phones policy. Fans entering venues for GHOST's "Skeletour" shows have to place their mobile phone into what is called a Yondr pouch. The bag is then magnetically sealed, with fans having to approach venue staff situated outside of the main auditorium if they wish for it to be unlocked. Forge said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "I think that not a whole lot of people have understood what the meaning is and how it makes them feel and how it makes us all feel better. And [there are] a few exceptions here and there, people who just somehow have a problem with it, but overall I think that… Yeah, I think that the show is great, but I think that the show is definitely enhanced by this fact, because people see a show for the first time in 10 years, whereas they've sort of not, for the last five, 10 years. So it's a little bit of a trick. But no, I can talk myself slack-jawed about why I think this is a great thing. And I believe that more bands will start doing this."

Regarding why more artists haven't followed suit by declaring phones off-limits at their shows, Forge said: "I think that just right now, it's just an economic disincentive, if that makes sense. But the negative here, when bands contemplate using this, is just the cost, because it's a cost. And as of right now, it's an infrastructure that you have to carry as an artist. And I think that hopefully more artists will start using this so there will be this incentive for local halls, promoters, all these buildings… They have, obviously, five hundred to a thousand chairs that they can put out on the rink ice, and they have a little stage, if a band comes, and they should have this function. And I'm sure if that was something that you can just cross a box in order to get locally, a whole lot more artists would do it."

Forge also talked about the fact that the final two shows on this year's "Skeletour" were filmed for future release. After's GHOST's September 23 concert in Mexico City was canceled due to Tobias having food poisoning, the band's two performances at the 20,000-capacity Palacio De Los Deportes on September 24 and September 25 were shot on 16mm film "for the rest of the world to see at some point". Forge said: "We did film it with old-fashioned reel, film roll, which, in turn, obviously you have to process them and you have to put together an edit, which is time consuming. Right now we're currently in a sort of a little break, and even though I'm doing other things as well, we're gonna start looking at the edit. But once you start to piece together the actual order of clips, basically, there's this whole slew of production that needs to be done in order for it just to look normal. So, what I learned with the process of making [GHOST's 2024 concert film] 'Rite Here Rite Now' was that it takes a lot longer than you think."

Forge continued: "We ended up fluffing the filming slightly because originally we had three nights in Mexico and one fell through, which essentially meant that we lost 33% of the material that we hoped to get, which, obviously, it was a great shame that the show didn't happen, but for us, since the film project, it was very, very annoying that we lost a third of the shoot. So once we put together an edit towards the end of the year, something like that, we're gonna try to watch the whole thing as objectively as we can and then try to figure out, like, do we need something else in it? Because, to me, it's very important that we don't end up making 'Rite Here Rite Now 2'. It's another film and it's not the same thing. It's not an extension of that. It's a different thing. So I need to be wary of how do we make this feel different yet capturing, obviously, the show and the tour and what people saw or didn't see. But anyway, we're doing stuff in 2026 as well. So, I'm assuming, and I'm gonna be realistic saying that [it will] probably [be released in] '27."

This past August, GHOST completed the U.S. leg of the "Skeletour" in support of the group's sixth studio album, "Skeletá", which came out in April. Marking a bold evolution in GHOST's live performances, the tour was the band's most theatrical and cinematic production yet. Designed by creative director Tobias Rylander and Forge, the tour embraced a grander and more ambitious scale than ever before.

The set design was a striking blend of gothic symbolism and brutalist architecture, melding the ornate drama of cathedrals with the stark lines of modernist concrete forms. Inspired by brutalist cathedrals across Europe, the stage transformed into a sanctum of dark majesty: part sacred temple and part rock coliseum.

At the core of the design was the "Grucifix" — GHOST's reimagined crucifix inspired by their iconic logo. Suspended above the band, this colossal structure functioned as both a visual centerpiece and a dynamic lighting rig, casting an ethereal glow over the stage.

Rylander's design included sculptural scenic facades on the lighting pods, echoing the textures and verticality of cathedral interiors, further reinforcing the ecclesiastical themes central to GHOST's identity.

The lighting leans into a retro-rock aesthetic, with visual nods to classical QUEEN and VAN HALEN. The tour also represented a milestone for the band as it's the first time a full-scale video production led by Rylander and video director Amir Chamdin. With video content by Green Wall Designs, the creative direction transcended the physical stage, evolving into a fully immersive multimedia experience.

In keeping with the show's theatricality, the stage itself had been engineered to perform as much as the artist. Multiple elevated performance platforms, mechanical lifts, and concealed entrances are strategically placed to accommodate dramatic reveals and character transitions. A living, breathing cathedral of performance, "Skeletour" redefined the GHOST live experience, where sacred architecture collides with the raw energy of rock and roll.

Renowned for his work across live music world tours, fashion, theatre and art installations, Rylander has collaborated with artists such as Beyoncé, THE 1975, Childish Gambino, Chappell Roan, The XX and FKA Twigs. "Skeletour" marks his first creative partnership with the Grammy Award-winning band, bringing a new dimension to GHOST's already-iconic stage presence.

The European leg of GHOST's 2025 world tour kicked off on April 15 in Manchester, United Kingdom and concluded on May 24 in Oslo, Norway. The North American leg of GHOST's 2025 tour launched on July 9 in Baltimore, Maryland and wrapped up on August 16 in Houston, Texas.

Through the use of technology like Yondr, fans are able to place their phones in a pouch that unlocks only after they leave the no-cell-phone zone. The pouch can also be unlocked at specific cell phone stations inside the venue.

Phones, Apple watches and other communication devices are placed in the pouch and sealed using a magnetized lock, which can be opened with an unlocking base.

This past May, "Skeletá" landed at position No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 86,000 equivalent album units earned in the United States in the LP's first week of release. According to Billboard, 89% of that figure (77,000) consisted of traditional album sales, with vinyl purchases accounting for over 44,000 copies. Notably, "Skeletá" was the first hard rock album to reach the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 since AC/DC's "Power Up" in 2020.

The music video for the LP's first single, "Satanized", introduced the new character who is fronting GHOST for its 2025 touring cycle: Papa V Perpetua.

Forge performed as a "new" Papa Emeritus on each of the band's first three LPs, with each version of Papa replacing the one that came before it. Papa Emeritus III was retired in favor of Cardinal Copia before the release of 2018's "Prequelle". In March 2020, at final show of GHOST's "Prequelle" tour in Mexico City, Mexico, the band officially introduced Papa Emeritus IV, the character who fronted the act for its "Impera" (2022) album phase.