(Live Review) GHOST - All State Arena, Chicago (8/1/25)

Greetings friends, fans, and followers and welcome to Beard reviews #69. (Stop snickering Johnny. What are you twelve?) Tonight, we present a limited review as we took in Satanic/Pop/Metal act Ghost at the All-State Arena in Chicago. This review was limited in that no pictures were allowed due to Ghost’s touring policy this year. All cell phones were locked in a pouch on arrival and not released until after the show. As such, the Beard was not able to keep notes, shoot photos or take video footage of the show and I will have to get by on memory alone. (Don’t say it boss.) (Ed: So you're making all this shit up then, aren't you Beard?!)

GHOST Tour 2025  

Ghost live

For this show, Little Johnny and I enlisted the help of our personal security force Greg “The Big Buffet” Hulke who is 300+ pounds of “Don’t F@ck with Us.” We had balcony seats, but they were in the first row so although our view was kind of distant, it was uninterrupted.

As always, the Ghost faithful liked to dress up and there was no shortage of men and women in full regalia from corpse painted faces, to one individual who almost perfectly emulated Papa V’s attire from head to toe. I wish I could have snapped a picture as this guy clearly invested a lot of time to look like that. The All-State Arena holds 18,500 and if it wasn’t fully sold out, but it was mighty damn close.

At 8:00PM, the eerie/neoclassical strains of the organ music began behind the giant curtain in front of the stage, and at 8:15PM, (with the crowd hyped and anxious), the lights went out and the audience “popped” in anticipation. (Ed: Sure about those timelines Beard? Seems pretty specific for an aging reviewer without the use of any recording devices.)

As the strains of “Peacefield” from Ghosts latest release Skeleta began, Papa V Perpetua appeared on the big screen masked and eerie as always to sing the first verse and chorus, before the big moment when the curtain dropped and the first Ghost set piece appeared in full. The Nameless Ghouls, (as all the Ghost band members are collectively called) were nine in number for this tour and each was arrayed in a unique skeletal design outfit.

“Lachryma” (also from Skeleta), was the second song ... and right away I had to say both were solid. The new album songs contain all the elements that make Ghost popular. Catchy melodies, and lyrical hooks that are easy to sing along with and just bubblegum enough that you don’t pay attention to their dark lyrical nature, (although "Lachryma" is more in the vein of a lost love and not as Satanic as many of their numbers.)

“Spirit” from Meliora was the first song I knew. This was followed by “Per Aspa Ad Inferi” (Latin for “Through Hardship Into Hell.”) “Elizabeth” from their first album was next and by this point I was praising Ghost’s lighting director and choreographer. Truly, the lighting selections and focusing were top notch, as was the ability of the Ghouls to be exactly where they needed to be at the precise moment of the song. This enabled them to theatrically “hit their mark” allowing the perfect light combination of color and appearance. Ghost moved more like a unit than a collection of individual musicians.

“Call me Little Sunshine” was next and for that one Pappa Perpetua levitated. A magicians trick indeed but deftly executed with perfect lighting as a floating Pappa V (A Satanic Pope in Shadow), belted out the lyrics “Call Me Little Sunshine. Call me Mephistopheles. When you feel all alone Just call me Little Sunshine. You will never walk alone. You can always reach me.” That song provided a creepy effect as so many members of the crowd/clergy shouted out the lyrics with rapturous glee.

Next up was one for the true Ghost faithful rather than the casual fans. “The Future is a Foreign Land” is cited in Ghost’s lore, (the behind the veil story known only to the faithful), as a song from 1969 written by Papa Nihil and handed down. Pappa V made mention of “having to do this song as it came from my father.” The hardcore fans got it but is passed over the heads of many. (Ed: What are you rambling on about Beard?)

Next was a brief several seconds of darkness before the stage lit up again with the new backdrop of the Satanic Church. Stained glass windows depicting blasphemes with Lucifer standing tall in the center as the band began “Devil Church,” an instrumental that led into “Circe” and its story of accepting possession. Again, this grammy winning song of darkness was thundered as much by the crowd as the band itself.

“Darkness at the Heart of My Love” & “Satanized” were next before returning to the beginning for “Prime Mover” a song depicting the conception and birth of the antichrist. “Umbra” from Skeletar was one I was totally unfamiliar with, but then came another quick burst of darkness before hearing…

“Belial…Behemoth…Beelzebub!

“Asmodeus…Satanas…Lucifer!

One of my favorites from the early days, “Year Zero.” Little Johnny watched and listened to this one and leaned over saying, “Beard? Are they just an act or do they really believe this stuff?” “It’s a matter of personal perspective little dude.” “What do YOU think Beard?” “I think they believe in truckloads of cash Johnny, and they figured out how to get them.” (Ed: Good - I was thinking that I was going to have to go down to Chicago and slap you over the head to wake you up!)

After that ode to Satan, Ghost played “He Is” and as that song (yet another homage to accepting Satan) played on, the backdrop of the evil church began to slowly alter with the more traditional images of Jesus and the angels replacing the previous blasphemous ones. By songs end, the backdrop looked like every other stained-glass church one might walk into. As the final lyrics of “He Is” came to fruition, “He is the disobedience that holds us together. He is Nostro Dis Pater Nostr Alma Mater, and we are falling over the precipice.”

Suddenly the glass of all the stained-glass windows shattered and tumbled to the floor which revealed itself to be a boiling lake of fire stretching backwards into infinity. THIS WAS BY FAR THE COOLEST SPECIAL EFFECT I HAVE SEEN AT A CONCERT IN MANY YEARS!!

Little Johnny froze in mid drink, eyes bulging. The big Buffet did a double take, and the audience was stunned for a split second before popping hugely with appreciative applause. This was in part why there were no cell phones. If we knew it was coming it would not have worked nearly as well. That was Hollywood level special effects. BRAVO!!!!

The next three songs were big hits, “Rats”, “Kiss the Goat” & “Mummy Dust” while “Kiss the Goat” had some great evil imagery, (hello Eliphas Levi), and “Mummy Dust” had some mash up of Maurits Escher meets Monty Python type backdrop, honestly I was still blown away by that lake of fire effect. This concluded the initial part of the show.

As expected, Ghost returned and Pappa thanked the enthusiastic Chicago crowd, which popped even bigger when he called the All-State Arena the Rosemont Horizon. Ghost, you get extra points for that. In Chicago, it’s the Hancock, it’s the Sears Tower, and it’s the Rosemont Horizon. F*ck those corporate names.

The encore began with “Mary on the Cross.” As expected, the crowd was louder than the band on this one, which lyrically isn’t anywhere near as bad as it sounds. Despite its title, this was one of Ghost’s less evil songs. With the next one “Dance Macabre” about half the common fans still think it is lyrically “I want to be with you in the Moonlight” when it is actually,” I want to Bewitch you in the Moonlight.” Part of the Ghost mystique of getting people to chant/sing the words without really thinking about their meaning.

This was brought home most emphatically with Ghost’s closer “Square Hammer”. Almost everyone knows every word of this one and 18,000 fans screaming in unison, “Are you on the Square? Are you on the Level? Are you ready to swear right here right now for the Devil?” is the best example out there of Ghost doing what they do best, imparting the audience to follow the left-hand path.

As we departed the arena with a mostly thrilled crowd, we got our phone capabilities returned to us, checked out the merch line and found just as many people in line after the show as before it. All of them ready to toss fifty dollars at a Ghost Tour shirt. The Beard was not willing to wait that long and, (as my boss at the Mighty Decibel pays me for my amazing reviews and articles in loonies and Moosehead beer), Johnny & I had to pass on getting any official Ghost merch this time around. (Ed: It ain't my fault the Canadian dollar isn't on par with the Yankee buck, go complain to your tariff loving President! Actually, you can also yell at our tax loving, over spending Prime Minister while you're at it.)

The Beard has seen Ghost five times now since their inception in 2012. They have constantly improved and have never given me a bad performance. Whether you are one of the obsessive faithful clergy or just a fan like me, you WILL have a good time at a Ghost show, and they do give you your money's worth. Ghost gets “crack a cold one” status and 95/100 for last night’s show.

And, when it comes to getting “your” money’s worth, you also never go wrong with the Beard. So, friend and follow Mark McQueen and be a part of all the Beard reviews & articles including movies, plays, alcohol events, concerts and much much more. Follow the videos on TikTok thebeard0728. Follow Mark McQueen on social media everywhere and of course follow Chris Tighe and The Mighty Decibel for great Metal content.

Until next time, this is the Beard & Little Johnny saying thank you, and as always, “Live Life,” “Stay Heavy” and “Horns Up.”