Ghost have played the opening show on their 2025 Skeletour World Tour, at the 23,000-capacity AO Arena in Manchester, UK, playing a set that mixed tracks from new album Skeletá with a glut of certified bangers.
The new songs included set opener Peacefield, current single Lachryma, last month's Satanized single and Umbra, while there were live debuts for last year's The Future Is a Foreign Land and Darkness At The Heart Of My Love from 2022's Impera album. Among the surprises were Majesty, which hasn't been played live since 2019, and the return of Monstrance Clock, which was last aired on the band's North American A Few Shows Named Death tour the same year. Full details below.
While the setlist might be in the public domain, the band's phone-free policy means we're unlikely to see much footage emerge from the shows.
"This show will be a phone-free experience," reads the small print accompanying the dates. "Phones will be secured in Yondr pouches. Guests maintain possession of their phones at all times."
Earlier this year, mainman Tobias Forge told Rock Sound how the policy had improved the experience for everyone involved.
“I have never seen a crowd interact the way that they did since I was in a club band," he said. "They were the best shows I’ve ever done with Ghost, just because I didn’t have to see those fucking mobile phones.”
The next show on Ghost's world tour is at the OVO Hydro in Glasgow, tomorrow night, before the UK schedule finishes with dates in London and Birmingham. Mainland Europe shows begin in Belgium on April 22, with US dates kicking off in July. Full dates below.
Ghost setlist: AO Arena, Manchester, UK
Peacefield
Lachryma
Spirit
From the Pinnacle To The Pit
Majesty
The Future Is A Foreign Land
Cirice
Darkness At The Heart Of My Love
Satanized
Ritual
Umbra
Year Zero
He Is
Rats
Kiss The Go-Goat
Mummy Dust
Monstrance Clock
Encore
Mary On A Cross
Dance Macabre
Square Hammer
Ghost: Skeletour World Tour dates 2025
Apr 16: Glasgow OVO Hydro, UK
Apr 19: London The O2, UK
Apr 20: Birmingham Utilita Arena, UK
Apr 22: Antwerp Sportpaleis, Belgium
Apr 23: Frankfurt Festhalle, Germany
Apr 24: Munich Olympiahalle, Germany
Apr 26: Lyon LDLC Arena, France
Apr 27: Toulouse Zenith Metropole, France
Apr 29: Lisbon MEO Arena, Portugal
Apr 30: Madrid Palacio Vistalegre, Spain
May 03: Zurich AG Hallenstadion, Switzerland
May 04: Milan Unipol Forum, Italy
May 07: Berlin Uber Arena, Germany
May 08: Amsterdam Ziggo Dome, Netherlands
May 10: Lodz Atlas Arena, Poland
May 11: Prague O2 Arena, Czech Republic
May 13: Paris Accor Arena, France
May 14: Oberhausen Rudolph Weber Arena, Germany
May 15: Hannover ZAG Arena, Germany
May 17: Copenhagen Royal Arena, Denmark
May 20: Tampere Nokia Arena, Finland
May 22: Linköping Saab Arena, Sweden
May 23: Sandviken Göransson Arena, Sweden
May 24: Oslo Spektrum, Norway
Jul 09: Baltimore CFG Bank Arena, MD
Jul 11: Atlanta State Farm Arena, GA
Jul 12: Tampa Amalie Arena, FL
Jul 13: Miami Kaseya Center, FL
Jul 15: Raleigh PNC Arena, NC
Jul 17: Cleveland Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, OH
Jul 18: Pittsburgh PPG Paints Arena, PA
Jul 19: Philadelphia Wells Fargo Center, PA
Jul 21: Boston TD Garden, MA
Jul 22: New York Madison Square Garden, NY
Jul 24: Detroit Little Caesars Arena, MI
Jul 25: Louisville KFC Yum! Center, KY
Jul 26: Nashville Bridgestone Arena, TN
Jul 28: Grand Rapids Van Andel Arena, MI
Jul 29: Milwaukee Fiserv Forum, WI
Jul 30: St Louis Enterprise Center, MO
Aug 01: Rosemont Allstate Arena, IL
Aug 02: Saint Paul Xcel Energy Center, MN
Aug 03: Omaha CHI Health Center, NE
Aug 05: Kansas City T-Mobile Center, MO
Aug 07: Denver Ball Arena, CO
Aug 09: Las Vegas MGM Grand Garden Arena, NV
Aug 10: San Diego Viejas Arena, CA
Aug 11: Phoenix Footprint Center, AZ
Aug 14: Austin Moody Center ATX, TX
Aug 15: Fort Worth Dickies Arena, TX
Aug 16: Houston Toyota Center, TX
Sep 24: Mexico City Palacio De Los Deportes
