Roadburn

April 14, 2011

Performed at MIDI Theatre in Tilburg, Netherlands

Set List

Masked Ball

Con Clavi Con Dio

Elizabeth

Death Knell

Satan Prayer

Stand by Him

Prime Mover

Genesis

Ritual

Listen on Spotify

Watch on Youtube

The 2011 gathering at Roadburn was curated by drone metal band Sunn O)))[1] and Ghost was announced as a guest on October 9th, 2010[2], 9 days before Opus Eponymous dropped, proving Satan has connections everywhere. (Or at the very least, there was MySpace in hell and Ghost was in the devil’s top 5*)

The ritual took place on Thursday of the festival in the Midi theatre, the smaller of the two venues hosting Roadburn (the other being 013).[3] The ritual began with Masked Ball playing over the speakers which folded right into the live performance. During the first song, Con Clavie Con Dio, the guitars cut out. Ever the professional, Papa’s crystalline vocals carry through the end of the song until the nameless ghouls are able to pick up with him again at the intro to Elizabeth.[4]

“The voice parts were also supported by a solid dose of reverbs and effects, which came to light especially at the end of "Con Clavi Con Dio", when suddenly the guitars fell silent and only the vocalist could be heard. I don't know if this effect was intentional, but I don't think it was, because both oarsmen immediately rushed to their amplifiers.”-Szymon Kubicki (via Microsoft Translator)[4]

Not even technical glitches could stop the powerful message of Ghost, and the music reached the hearts of many in the audience that day.

“Roadburn - for the last two years - has spilled over into the Midi theatre a street away. It was here, appropriately nestled beside the spectacular two-spired church in Tilburg's main square, where I discovered my new favourite band. Ghost's psyche-pop take on the high-camp satanism of early Mercyful Fate, adorned with huge hook-laden choruses, performed by a group of cowl-laden masked monks and sung by a dead pope with skullface makeup, was utterly irresistible. And remarkably, they passed what I indelicately call the "piss test". Despite the call of nature requiring ever more urgent attention as the set went on, I steadfastly refused to miss a second, something me and my kidney specialist will no doubt have a good chat about in the future. "The last time I did that," I told friends afterwards, "was when Wino and Spirit Caravan did a bunch of Obsessed covers about seven or eight years ago. I think everyone was wondering why I was dancing so strangely by the end." But, here, only hours into the fest, the piss test had a new champion.” -Jamie Thomson[5]

“Ghost won act of the day. It might of been the cheesy costumes (dark cloaks and big hoods on all of the band except the singer, who looks like the priest on their CD cover) it may have be the over the top theatrical acting, the face paint and incense but it was damn good! Ghost fulfilled playing pretty much their full album work of material including my favourites 'Satan Prayer' and 'Ritual' which had everyone [singing] along to the chorus.” -Gemma Shaw[6]

“Rich in irony and with a sequence of excellent songs, the concert was one of the most enjoyable of the festival.” -Dale P.[3]

“I’d call them the GWAR of Sweden. I guess it’s more arty though if you dress like a priest instead of fuck one with your cuttlefish.” -Doktor Ross Sewage[7]

“Ghost’s Stand By Him was and is engraved in my ears and every time I woke up in the middle of the night to take a piss, I was accompanied by the sweet tunes of Stand By Him. I didn’t keep any notes, but I think Ghost played close to the whole album. Their visual presentation was on spot, and they didn’t fell out of character. Although funny in a way, it did fit perfectly with what Job called their ‘scooby-doo rock’ (in a positive, affirming way). Brilliant performance! This is the sort of show that leaves you longing for more…”-Sandrijn van den Oever[8]

“Ghost were simply sublime – effortlessly theatrical, musically rock-solid and just a little bit camp, basically everything you could want from a band such as this. The five mysterious musicians in the band were attired in leather-trimmed inquisitorial robes with blacked-out faces, and the equally mysterious front-ghoul was bedecked in sparkling bishop’s robes and mitre adorned with the Ghost logo, containing as it does an inverted cross, his by now traditional skull-face mask and swinging an incense-emitting thurible to and fro. It was quite a sight to behold.

Swapping grand theatrical gestures for traditional intros and between-songs talk, the front-ghoul was an entrancing presence, swaying and sashaying around the stage, interacting with the frontline of the band and generally filling the room with sheer PRESENCE. Musically, we were treated to near-flawless renditions of the entire ‘Opus Eponymous’ album, with ‘Elizabeth’, ‘Ritual’ and the closing guitar harmonies of ‘Genesis’ being personal highlights, although mass headbanging ensued when ‘Prime Mover’ kicked in too.”-Paul Robertson[9]

*MySpace is a social media site popular on the old web, originally (and currently) aimed at helping bands find their fans and advertise their work. It became a popular site amongst early social media adopters back in the days where Tom was everybody’s friend and we all learned html to personalize our profile pages. One of the features showed the people on your friends list and you could set your ‘top 5’, a seat of honor for your most favored friends**

**If you did not need this joke explained to you, let me tell you the wonders of morning stretches and high fiber cereal are not to be underestimated at your age***

***If you did find this explanation helpful in understanding the joke, please wear earplugs to rituals. Your hearing is precious and you are writing a check now that will be cashed in 30 years when you least expect it and the overdraft fees are killer. Don’t say no one ever warned you, because I just did.

Further Reading

Blabbermouth, Sunn O))) to curate Next Year's Roadburn Festival

Brave Words, Roadburn Festival 2011 - Official Artwork Unveiled

Metalshots, Ghost 2011-04-14 Roadburn Tilburg

Achrom Moments, Photobook Roadburn 2011 by Paul Verhagen

Festival Info, Foto Ghost Op Roadburn 2011 by Erik Luyten

BrooklyVegan, Roadburn 2011 day 1 in pics (Godflesh, Alcest, Pentagram, Soilent Green, Ghost, Wovenhand, Wardruna & more) by BrooklynVegan Staff

Magazyn Gitarzysta, Roadburn Festival -14-17.04.2011 - Tilburg (Holandia)

A Ghoul Archivest, Roadburn 2011 Entry