Ghost frontman Tobias Forge has defended the band’s controversial phone ban at live shows. He explained how the policy transformed their concert experience in a Q&A session with fans shared by GHOST EN ESPAÑOL.
Forge addressed the reasoning behind the phone ban and its impact on both the band’s performance and audience engagement.
“This is the thing that most people, most individuals haven’t thought about how it is, because you think that, ‘Well, no one cares about what I’m doing. I’m standing here in the back. I’m just gonna take a photo. I’m gonna film a song,'” Forge said. “So each individual is not doing a purposefully disrespectful diss, but the sum of it becomes a completely changed, especially for an artist who you come out on a stage and you’re expecting, like, ‘F*cking people are gonna rage,’ and then all of a sudden it’s, like, the crowd that you’ve seen for, at that point, through 13 years has just gone less and less and less engaged in exchange for these phones.”
The Ghost leader explained how the situation had reached a breaking point for him personally.
“What’s that about? What the fuck? And so I just felt that I came to a point where I’m, like, ‘I don’t think I wanna do this. I don’t think I wanna do this. If this is how it’s gonna be, I’d rather not do it,'” he continued. “That that’s how worthless it became because of the phones.”
Forge emphasized the importance of crowd interaction for Ghost’s theatrical performances.
“Especially a show like ours. I mean, I know that there are a lot of artists who [do] a completely more a free-form show, but we don’t. Our show is pretty sort of nailed and arranged. There’s obviously a certain wiggle room for individualism. But, yeah, in order to do what we do, we need to have a certain regimen. And so what do we feed off of? [The crowd]. And that is crucial. That is crucial for us to be able to do the show,” he said.
He described the dramatic difference the phone ban has made for the band.
“[The phone ban has been a] fucking life changer. Life changer for the existence of the band. Absolutely. We had a collective… Just walking off stage first night [of the tour] was just, like, this has completely changed the entire outlook of how this feels. So, yeah, now we’re doing that. And I think that there are a lot of bands that are looking at this and just, like, ‘Okay, so how do we do that too?'” Forge concluded.
Ghost’s phone ban implementation represents part of a broader movement among artists seeking to reclaim authentic concert experiences. The band’s approach has drawn attention from both fans and industry professionals as more performers consider similar measures.
Ultimate Classic Rock reported that Ghost uses Yondr pouches, which allow audience members to keep their phones with them securely locked away during the show. Fans can only access their phones by leaving the venue and having the pouch unlocked. This ensures phones do not distract from the live experience without confiscating devices outright. This method was chosen after thorough consideration and vetting, despite initial reservations from management and agents about the added logistical challenges.
The decision to implement the phone ban wasn’t made without internal skepticism. Blabbermouth revealed that Tobias Forge disclosed how the phone ban concept was initially met with doubt even from his own family. His teenage daughter questioned whether fans would support such a restriction. The policy has since proven successful, revitalizing live shows and encouraging more genuine crowd interaction.
Ghost’s phone ban success has positioned the band as pioneers in addressing a widespread industry concern. Metal Injection noted that the policy has potentially set a precedent that other artists might follow in reclaiming concert engagement. The band’s experience demonstrates how technological solutions can help restore the traditional concert atmosphere that many performers feel has been diminished by constant phone use.
The broader implications of Ghost’s approach extend beyond just one band’s touring strategy. Blabbermouth documented that the policy has been described as a “life changer” for the band members. It has fundamentally altered their relationship with live performance and audience interaction. This transformation suggests that phone-free concerts could become increasingly common as artists seek to restore the energy and connection that defined live music before the smartphone era.
