Ghost Unleash The Impera Tour Upon Chaifetz Arena

Ghost's Papa Emeritus IV

The Impera Tour has been quite the show to see this year and it’s only the end of February. With that said, this is also the show to be at if you are an avid concert goer, filled with pyro, concussion pops, elaborate set design and enough devilish talent to fill an entire arena. Ghost have been touring for some time now and have developed quite the fan base. With the upcoming release of their fifth studio album Impera, Ghost has enlisted the help from the ghoulish Twin Temple and Denmark juggernauts Volbeat, the Impera Tour will be delectably delicious.

Deciding to go cover a show like this took very little consideration once I considered the pros and cons. The cons being nonexistent. So, after throwing caution to the wind, I decided to catch The Impera Tour in the beautiful city of St. Louis, three and a half hours away. You might be thinking to yourself “why would you drive seven total hours for a concert?” My answer is very simple. It’s fucking Ghost! Papa Emeritus IV has been delivering us all from sin since the tour began. St. Louis would be no exception.

Prepping for the long drive, I created a playlist of tunes to get in the zone and get focused on the show at hand. Once arriving to this massive city, I settled into the parking structure and got everything ready to go for showtime, making my way down a winding path around the University of St. Louis and its beautiful campus, I had finally arrived at Chaifetz Arena! Fans were everywhere, decked out in their respective band attire, some more elaborate than others. I ascended the giant steps into the arena and made my way to the holding area, fingers sweaty and chest pounding with excitement. It wouldn’t be long before being taken into the main stage area as Twin Temple would soon begin.

Twin Temple's Alexandra James

Twin Temple traipsed across the stage with a swagger and confidence that I’ve never seen from a group in quite some time. Little did I know that I was about to be anointed into the holy church of Lucifer (I do mean anointed literally) . Nice touch by the duo to fling water around on the crowd. The fiendishly seditious sounds of Alexandra mixed with the grooving guitar workings of her counterpart Zachary made for quite the spectacle of a devilishly good time. With a grasp on satanic philosophy that champions individualism, respect, equality and defiance, Twin Temple are in touch with the most intimate parts of their music. I really enjoyed the message the band relayed and it gave me more insight into the world of the occult that not all things dark and mysterious are necessarily bad. The 50’s doo-wop managed to make a fan out of me by the end of their set and I think they gained an arena full of new ones as well!

Ghost fans tend to stand out in the crowd

The time had come for Volbeat to throw up the giant curtain and take their places on stage. A loud gunshot-like pop and we were off to the races! Volbeat opened their show with the always fun, ‘The Devil's Bleeding Crown’. It was a mad dash for places around the photo pit to get “that good shot” and smiles were seen on the faces of everyone here with devil horns in the sky. Oh, and the fans were doing the same also! Lead singer Michael Poulsen greeted the vivacious crowd with a roaring “hello Missouri!” Which then enticingly so, got us all even more excited to continue rocking the hell out! With Kaspar and Rob running around and getting everyone involved, Jon was pounding away on the massive drum kit up on this video-boarded drum riser that amplified things even more with a visual show as well as a killer sounding show! The Devil would Rage On and eventually Volbeat would ‘Seal The Deal’ by counting down a rip-roaring performance in St. Louis that we all won’t soon forget.

Volbeat's Michael Puolson

The arena filled with doom and gloom would soon fill with Mummy Dust and Rats, Ghost was set to take us all to Devil Church in a way only they could deliver. The beginning to Kaisarion off their upcoming album, was brought in with a bang and the Ghouls would walk front and center to the stage and duel it out in true Ghost form. The Nameless Ghouls were already on fire and the show had only just begun. No sooner than the intro played, Papa Emeritus IV glided across the stage singing out to Kaisarion, “Kaisarion, a matter of love, when Mother Earth is calling for a father up above”. Ghost had arrived and we were all just here for the ride. The elaborate set design mixed with the terrific costumes provided for the band to wear just enhanced the experience and elevated my expectations even higher than what I had hoped. Papa would address the crowd saying “how the hell are you St. Louis? Are you all alright? Yes? Good. We are happy to be here with you all tonight, so let’s just forget everything outside this place and have fun together like it’s a friday, okay? Okay.” Transitioning into their next song ‘Rats’ off their 2018 album Prequelle. A fitting song when we’re all in times of turmoil. With an entire arena singing along we “let them into our sanctum”, “never to forget” this night.

Papa Emeritus IV was having the time of his life on that stage. The playful banter between the Ghouls and Papa was infectious. Later on we would all view the ‘Hunters Moon’, a song that has quickly grown in popularity as it has also been featured on the recent Halloween Kills soundtrack. The good times kept on rolling on into the night with soaring riffs and plenty of fan participation. Hell, even I was singing along while taking pictures (thank god no one could hear that). There was a standout moment for me personally when Papa Emeritus would address the fans and state “It’s important to know not all of us have the courage to come out and come to concerts in these uncertain times, but we are so glad that you did and you are here with us today”, acknowledging how it can be difficult for some fans of live music to venture out in public during this current time of despair. Ghost would soon close out their show with the crowd pleasers ‘Mummy Dust’ their own version of ‘Enter Sandman’, my personal favorite ‘Dance Macbre’ and ‘Square Hammer’. Ghost left us all wanting more and then some. I look forward to hearing from all the fans about their experiences at the bands stop on each venue they play to see if it matches up to mine. If I had to guess though, I’d say each show will be just as special. So make sure you buy a ticket and see this tour!