Show Review, Photos: Ghost Bring Theatrical 'Skeletour' To Sacramento
Ghost
Golden 1 Center
Sacramento, CA
February 20th, 2026
Review and Photos by Jared Stossel
It was a little over a decade ago that Ghost was performing at San Francisco’s Bottom of the Hill to around 300 people. Last night, the Tobias Forge-fronted metal act performed to a crowd of several thousand at Sacramento’s Golden 1 Center, as part of a highly anticipated stop on their ‘Skeletour’. It is one of the most time-efficient rock shows I’ve ever seen, starting at 8:15 and ending just barely after 10 PM, with no opening band.
Ghost is a unique band. For the uninitiated who are reading this article, the band’s sole constant member is musician Tobias Forge, performing under the name ‘Papa V Perpetua’. The other members of the band don facemasks and all black clothing, dubbed “Nameless Ghouls”. Forge’s face is covered by a mask, with the exposed portions of his face painted to look like a skeleton. Their lyrics are heavily influenced by Satanic metal, but they sound more like an arena rock and 80s metal act than anything you would hear coming from the recesses of a basement, blaring screeching Norwegian black metal.
Songs from every album in the band’s collective discography - including EPs like Seven Inches of Satanic Panic and Popestar - were performed, accentuated by an evolving stage that featured lights adorned in the formation of an upside-down cross, to a stained-glass backdrop brought out for the aptly named “Devil Church”. Songs were accentuated with pyrotechnics, flash bangs, cryo tanks, and confetti, all perfectly fitting for a theatrical arena rock act of Ghost’s nature. The band sounded fantastic, utilizing every corner of the stage and dominating the crowd with a powerful stage presence. It’s fun to see the band interact with the crowd, playing up every moment and riff with aplomb.
But perhaps even more controversial than the Satanic imagery and lyrics was the band’s choice to have fans lock up their cell phones and other mobile devices prior to entering the venue. All attendees were given Yondr pouches, which locked away their devices for the duration of the show (fans have the option to go to special unlocking stations should they need it in the event of an emergency). I’ve been to smaller shows that have utilized this technology, but never one of this scale.
Even though people hemmed and hawed about not being able to have access to their devices, I have to say that I loved this choice. I can’t begin to explain how much more present I felt. I wasn’t tempted to scroll through yet another app, play yet another game, or Google something every time I had a question about the band or the set list. The performance hit harder, and it was nice to be able to escape and go back to a time that I remember vividly: a time when none of this technology ever existed.
Ghost plays up the religious aspect of their show, treating the performance as both a rock concert and a church service. The band has generated controversy in the mainstream for its use of Satanic imagery, which is used satirically as a critique of organized religion. Several deem the band to be actual Satanists. The fact that Forge has started this conversation about religious blasphemy seems to only solidify the band’s point and reason for existence.
From the choral music that is piped in over the PA minutes before the show begins, to the iconography that adorns the stage and lyrics, Ghost’s ‘Skeletour’ is a show of epic proportions. We’re on the final run of shows supporting the band’s 2025 album Skeletá. When these shows conclude in the next few days, the character of Papa V Perpetua will be retired, and Ghost will return to the shadows before emerging with a new evolution. Who knows what the future will hold? One thing is for sure - it will be theatrical as hell, and it will continue to draw crowds and turn heads the world over.
Ghost performs tonight at Anaheim’s Honda Center, and concludes the tour on February 23rd at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, CA. More information can be found here.
Ghost Set List
Peacefield
Lachryma
Spirit
Faith
Call Me Little Sunshine
The Future Is A Foreign Land
Devil Church
Cirice
Darkness at the Heart of My Love
Satanized
Satan Prayer
Umbra
Year Zero
He Is
Rats
Kiss The Go-Goat
Mummy Dust
Monstrance Clock
Encore:
Mary on a Cross
Dance Macabre
Square Hammer
