For about three years now, I’ve wanted to shoot Ghost, not because I love their music mind you; but for the mind-blowing photos I always see from their tours. Being a concert-photographer sometimes means you chase and attend gigs for the thrill of getting a creative shot – but doesn’t always mean it’s good music or something we might enjoy. With all that in mind, I headed out to Kings Theatre for the first time to catch a band I knew little about except that they might possibly be Satanists and or, in a cult.
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Kings Theatre
As you approach the historic theatre in Flatbush, Brooklyn it seems out of place; like it’s the only thing left that survived from its glorious era and now is surrounded by chain stores and a seedy neighborhood. Once you step inside however, it’s a warm and friendly place with high ceilings and a main hall that is gorgeous and inviting. At a 3000 person-capacity, it’s not unlike the Beacon, but with one wide balcony. The acoustics are also superb as Marissa Nadler showed with her gloom-pop-rock to warm up the crowd. In a rare NYC moment, the near capacity-crowd gave Nadler the silence needed to hear the depth of her tunes.
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Marissa Nadler
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Marissa Nadler
Once the lights dropped and the masked figures emerged from the foggy darkness, the place exploded and in turn, so did the band with a sizzling “Square Hammer,” which is off their latest effort Popestar. With a quick hello to the sold-out crowd, Papa Emeritus III and crew wasted no time into tearing into “Pinnacle.” That’s when it hit me; Ghost isn’t some dog and pony show, they’re actually pretty incredible musicians and once you look past their stage-getup you can appreciate their distinctive style.
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Ghost
The impressive set would continue with “Secular Haze,” “Devil Church,” “Mummy Dust,” and would finish with a confetti (fake money) filled “Monstrance Clock.” As I watched the show it was obvious that it would be hard to categorize the Swedish band and if was pressed to compare another act musically – would choose an obscure Norwegian band from the 90’s called Madrugada.
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As the show was letting out I was happy to had finally gotten some cool pics of the band. But what I came away with was much more substantial – you could take away the masks/anonymity, the elaborate lighting and stage setup and still have gotten more than your moneys worth with Ghost. I still haven’t figured out if they’re actual Satan Worshippers or if they have a cult somewhere – but it doesn’t matter as I genuinely enjoyed the gig, forgot about the shitty world for a few hours and that is priceless.
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Ghost
Article: Shayne Hanley
Axelfire
Some of the best live Ghost pics ive seen, and ive seen a lot 🙂 thanks!
Must’ve been great and big energy at Kings Theater. For me its a big sing-a-long when i see them. And yes they hav their Satan thing and its somewhere between secular and devout but mostly they are just incredible musicians and showpeople (the bassist is a girl) who rock hard and play with depth and meaning…