Ghost mastermind Tobias Forge has predicted that more artists will begin adopting a mandatory no-phones policy at their concerts, a move he believes “definitely enhanced” his own band’s recent tour. In a new interview, he explained that the primary obstacle preventing this from becoming the industry standard is simply cost, an “economic disincentive” he hopes will change as the practice becomes more common.
Speaking on the “Loudwire Nights” radio show, Forge, whose recent “Skeletour” utilized the Yondr phone-pouch system at all shows, was asked if he was tired of explaining the controversial policy.
“No, I can talk myself slack-jawed about why I think this is a great thing. And I believe that more bands will start doing this,” he stated. He explained that the policy had a profound impact on the atmosphere, allowing fans to experience a show in a way they haven’t in years. “I think that the show is great, but I think that the show is definitely enhanced by this fact, because people see a show for the first time in 10 years, whereas they’ve sort of not, for the last five, 10 years,” he said.
When asked why more artists haven’t adopted the policy, he was blunt. “I think that just right now, it’s just an economic disincentive, if that makes sense. But the negative here, when bands contemplate using this, is just the cost, because it’s a cost,” he explained. He expressed hope that as the technology becomes more common, venues will begin to offer it as a local service, making it more accessible for all touring artists.
In the same interview, Forge also gave a major update on the concert film that was shot at the final two shows of the “Skeletour” in Mexico City. He confirmed the project was filmed on “old-fashioned reel, film roll” (16mm), a process that is “time consuming.” He also revealed a major setback during the filming.
“We ended up fluffing the filming slightly because originally we had three nights in Mexico and one fell through, which essentially meant that we lost 33% of the material that we hoped to get,” he admitted. “It was very, very annoying that we lost a third of the shoot.”
He stressed that he wants the new film to be a completely different experience from the band’s 2024 film, “Rite Here Rite Now.” “To me, it’s very important that we don’t end up making ‘Rite Here Rite Now 2‘. It’s another film and it’s not the same thing,” he said. Given the time-consuming nature of the editing process and the lost footage, he offered a realistic timeline for its release, stating, “I’m assuming, and I’m gonna be realistic saying that [it will] probably [be released in] ’27.”
