Ghost’s shock rock descends upon Anaheim’s Honda Center ...Middle East

While the night sky had hardly a cloud in sight, a darkness still engulfed the Honda Center.

Ghost, the Swedish heavy rock band often associated with demonic imagery and shock rock aesthetics, took the Anaheim venue by storm on Saturday, Feb. 21, before the group’s final Skeletour stop at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood on Monday, Feb. 23.

The band opened its set behind a black textured wall that served as a curtain and resembled something from an eerie dark-fantasy novel. The setting paired perfectly with the gospel-like introduction of “Peacefield,” while a white light pierced through the cracks of the barrier.

As the intro transitioned into ’80s power-chord riffs, the guitar blared from the speakers, and an explosive boom rocked the room, revealing the group in all its glory. Tobias Forge, aka Cardinal Copia, and his cabal of Nameless Ghouls, sporting top hats, black veils and jeweled skeletal suits, commanded the packed arena.

Ghost performed songs from its latest release, “Skeleta,” including “Peacefield, “Lachryma,” “Umbra,” and the single “Satanized.” Aside from playing these handful of new songs, most of the two-hour theatrical performance featured several of the group’s classics.

Attendees were treated to some of the heavier songs from the 2015 release “Melora,” including “Cirice” and the galloping guitars of “Mummy Dust,” performed closer to the end of the set. The show also featured some throwbacks, such as “Satan Prayer,” “Year Zero,” and the regular closer “Monstrance Clock.” Other highlights included a rousing “He Is” and “Prequelle”-era headbanger “Rats.”

The encore included the metal-meets-Abba hit “Dance Macabre” and “Square Hammer,” one of Ghost’s signature songs, one that caused fans to cheer in delight upon hearing the first note.

The event’s production lived up to its arena-rock expectations, with new layers peeled back throughout the night, advancing the performance through acts in a theater show, and Forge had a costume for each occasion. The lead singer wore his signature metallic mask and dazzling black satin, paired with different capes and crowns.

To maintain the surprise and mystique as well as keep the focus on the performance, attendees were required to place their cellphones in venue-provided Yondr pouches.

In the first part of the show, Forge led the ghouls in a fog-lit performance in which members stood on platforms made to look like bones and skulls. The next act introduced the singer as his stage persona, Papa Emiritus, a demonic anti-pope who appeared to levitate over the band. His presence also expanded the stage, revealing multiple screens displaying digital stained-glass windows that resembled a cathedral. In the prequel to the final act, all hell broke loose, summoning flames from the ground and shattering the cathedral’s glass, where the red-skinned devil appeared.

For the uninitiated, the imagery might be unsettling, but Ghost is working within a lineage dating back to at least Alice Cooper, who used props and pyrotechnics, including guillotines, electric chairs, fake blood and more. It’s a style that fuses heavy metal and rock with highly theatrical live performances that carry a strong sense of shock value, and the music is often paired with attention-grabbing imagery such as costumes, masks, face paint, special effects, and other elements of horror. It’s a genre that has included bands such as Kiss, Slipknot, Brazilian thrash metal outfit Crypta, as well as contemporary acts like Sleep Token.

In a 2019 interview with Billboard, Forge described his use of the dark imagery “as a symbol of liberation, rather than a symbol of actual tyranny and evil.” He said its importance came from seeing himself as “a born rebel and a natural opposer.”

So when Ghost fans show up dressed in black, faces painted a pale white with heavy black eyeshadow, banging their heads, the altar they’re really praying to, he seems to say, is rock and roll.

Related Articles

Hence then, the article about ghost s shock rock descends upon anaheim s honda center was published today ( Monday 23/02/2026 - 12:48 AM ) and is available on Los Angeles Daily News ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.

Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Ghost’s shock rock descends upon Anaheim’s Honda Center )

Also on site :

• ​Sheikh Sabri: Israeli enemy seeks to change reality of al-Aqsa Mosque as prelude to seizing control of it
• At 61, this major insurance CEO works out 6 days a week with his 23-year-old son—he picks his brain for a Gen Z perspective while lifting weights
• California Dreamin’: NBC Kicks Off 2028 L.A. Olympics Marketing Campaign With Kate Hudson (Exclusive)