THE BEAST

By embracing a bold new approach to live performance, GHOST frontman Tobias Forge is calling for a return to the moment—literally. With the band’s 2025 world tour set to be a phone-free experience, Forge has ignited a conversation about the value of presence, connection, and collective euphoria in the age of digital distraction.

In a recent interview with Riff X’s Metal XS, Forge elaborated on his decision to require fans to secure their phones in Yondr pouches throughout the show. The pouches—designed to let guests keep their phones while locking them during the performance—allow fans to re-engage with the real-time magic of a live concert.

A Shift Sparked by “Rite Here Rite Now”

Forge credits the inspiration for the phone-free tour to the euphoric response surrounding Rite Here Rite Now, GHOST’s feature film debut. Filmed over two “device-free” nights at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles in September 2023, the experience was a revelation for both the band and the fans.

“There was this intimacy,” Forge said. “The crowd was really there with us. We hadn’t felt that level of engagement in a long time. It was as if the audience had rediscovered how to just be at a show. It changed us.”

According to Forge, the device-free atmosphere didn’t just elevate the audience's experience—it transformed the performance itself. “It made us better. It felt like they were having a better time. And I just felt that I have a hard time not having experienced this. I cannot neglect that I just had an experience saying that this is so much better.”

From Doubt to Devotion

Not everyone was sold on the idea at first—even Forge’s own daughter was skeptical. “She was like, ‘No one’s gonna buy a ticket,’” he shared. “But it’s an experiment. And after L.A., I knew it could work. People were nervous at first, but afterwards, they felt relieved. For two hours, you feel relieved of the chains that is the ether.”

This sense of release, of returning to something primal and communal, is what Forge hopes to replicate on the upcoming tour. “I want everyone to feel that,” he said. “That is the collective joy that I want people to associate GHOST with.”

Not About Control—About Connection

Forge is quick to clarify that the policy is not about censorship or content control. “It’s not about copyright. We’re going to make sure people see stuff from the show. There will be plenty of official documentation,” he noted.

The point, according to Forge, is engagement—not exclusivity. “The connection between myself and everybody I brought with me to give you an experience—that experience is completely decocked if everybody’s just filming,” he emphasized.

Through the lens of Rite Here Rite Now, Forge saw his own work in a new way, analyzing every detail in the editing process. “It taught me a lot about the show and how I want it to look in the future,” he said. “The new show will be shaped by that experience.”

Reclaiming the Concert Ritual

Phone-free shows are nothing new—comedians and other artists have experimented with them for years—but GHOST’s implementation feels particularly deliberate. It’s a spiritual return to the idea that live music is sacred, visceral, and fleeting.

With phones locked away but still in reach (in case of emergencies or quick lobby selfies), Forge hopes fans will discover the same kind of cathartic immersion he felt in Los Angeles. “I want people to experience this,” he said. “It’s just two hours of your life. Come on. If you hate it, okay. But I want everyone to feel what we felt. That joy. That connection.”

As the digital age continues to blur the boundaries between audience and artifact, GHOST’s 2025 tour may just be the reminder we didn’t know we needed: that sometimes, the most powerful moments happen when the screen goes dark—and the real show begins.