Ghost frontman Tobias Forge has opened up in regards to the time he suffered a terrifying panic assault whereas performing onstage roughly 10 years in the past — a scare that’s led him to rethink his method to enjoying unfamiliar venues.
In a brand new interview with Metallic Hammer, Forge recalled the second that resulted in Ghost pausing a live performance within the UK again in 2015.
“All through my years in in masks, I’ve developed a not snug claustrophobia,” he mentioned. “It’s the thought of getting one thing over your throat, being fully engulfed, fully enclosed.”
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That claustrophobia become panic in the course of the aforementioned 2015 gig at Leeds Beckett College. Halfway by means of a efficiency of the track “Con Clavi Con Dio,” Forge exited the stage and eliminated his costume — the primary time he’d ever carried out so. Because the singer defined, this happened across the time of the tragic November 2015 Bataclan taking pictures in Paris.
“It had by no means actually occurred to me earlier than, however I used to be strolling into the venue, and that is, that is very near the Bataclan taking pictures,” he mentioned. “We went into the venue, and it was raining exterior, huge shock, completely pissing down. I used to be informed there was just one entrance into the venue; you needed to stroll in on the precise facet of the stage, previous the stage, after which right into a backstage space.”
He continued: “So, basically, you couldn’t get out. You have been locked in. That was what I used to be informed. And I didn’t consider it till in the course of the present, when rapidly I used to be like, ‘I must know the place the door is… I can’t get to the door. Cease! Cease! Get the masks off!’ I needed to get the whole lot off. Restart the entire thing.”
Forge was then directed by a safety guard to a second exit on the venue, assuaging his fears.
“There was completely a method out,” he mentioned. “After which it turned a factor [for future shows]: I must know the place the door out is. I must know the way I get out. So long as I understand how to get out, we’re good.”
Forge mentioned that he hasn’t had any issues or recurring panic assaults for the reason that Leeds gig. He’s additionally restricted his claustrophobia with a special costume, as his present Ghost outfit as Papa V Perpetua covers much less of his face, mouth, and throat space.
He’ll be donning that apparel in just a few months time when Ghost hits the highway for a Winter 2026 North American tour. The month-long trek runs all through January and February, and you will get tickets right here.
