Ghost Imperium Tour 2023 with Amon Amarth
Starting off our series of haunts, it only seems appropriate to start with a Ghost. Of course Syracuse probably is haunted, but the haunt we’re starting with is the Ghost Concert with Amon Amarth at the St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater (now the Empower FCU Amphitheater at Lakeview) in Syracuse, New York on August 18th, 2023. I put that date in bold because it’s worth noting that it was barely 60 degrees with rain and 10-15mph winds blowing right into the amphitheater. Papa Emeritus IV referred to it as, “surprisingly autumnal.” Before we get ahead of ourselves, Let’s cover the ultimate question. How was the drive? How is premium parking? What is the VIP experience like? How was the show? Okay, so there are a lot of questions to answer, but ultimately, was it worth it?
The Drive In
When TicketMaster tells you to expect heavy traffic, they are not kidding. It’s only partly because of how packed it was or how much of the audience was coming from the Rochester or Buffalo area. All of the traffic from the west has to go past the fairgrounds exit to the next exit, drive through a few intersections past the exterminator, and get back on the highway to get off at the same exit.
I didn’t get to leave as early as I would have liked. I had to work at Eclipse, the largest goth shop in western New York, for a partial day because everyone who worked there took the day off for this very concert. I was able to get out of work at a reasonable time, toss my wife in the vehicle, and head out for the trip that never seems to end. Seriously, kudos to our customers who drive to Eclipse from Syracuse. I respect your dedication, and I really hope we made the trip worth it. Ultimately, we arrived at the venue 45 minutes before the opener, Amon Amarth, was to take the stage. We just had to park and walk in.
Premium Parking
Is premium parking worth it? Sort of. There are a few solid benefits, while at the same time, it’s literally the exact same thing as regular parking.
The first benefit to premium parking is that we got to pull out of traffic to the left and head up a driveway with very little traffic. We showed our pass on the way in, and got to park relatively quickly. The parking spaces, however, are not for full size vehicles. We were in a standard issue crossover which was right on the line on both sizes. The people next to us has to climb out the back of their vehicle.
One would expect parking was closer though right? Not actually. It might have actually been further away. The premium parking and regular parking were the same lot split long-ways by a fence. However, the second benefit would soon come into play. The traffic jam getting into regular parking was forming a mob of a line getting checked in through security. At premium parking, there was a shorter line after a longer walk following a flag saying “VIP Entrance”. Thank goodness we had VIP! We could check in quick, get our bag of merch, see the Ghost museum, and meet the legend himself. Right?
The VIP Experience
Short answer, there was no experience. I’m not sure what we did wrong. I never got the email with special instructions, but I would have thought checking in with a VIP ticket at the VIP entrance would have been enough. There was no merch, no museum, no legend. The walking path simply merged with the people coming in through the regular parking entrance. Then, there was just a short half mile saunter up hills, down hills, through the mud, past merch tents and food vendors, in the cold rain, to the entrance to the Amphitheater itself.
The Show
Ultimately, the VIP price tag did land us some decent seats. Off to the right a bit (directly in front of the speaker stack) 3 rows behind the pit. The view was fantastic. We could see everything right of center stage well, and we couldn’t complain about the left.
When Amon Amarth came on, they hit hard with dark and heavy energy right off. The drums hit so hard and fast, I couldn’t tell if I was experiencing a full body percussion massage, or tachycardia. Sitting in front of the speakers with these nordic metal heads is not for anyone who isn’t 100% certain of their cardiac health.
The set was somewhat brilliant. They had two backdrops that they used during their set. The two statues on the stage were actually inflated. They were able to change the entire set during the concert without affecting the flow. The statues deflated, the backdrops changed out, and a sea serpent rose from the floor.
I really enjoyed Amon Amarth way more than I expected to. They put on a great show with personable commentary, sword fighting, viking tales, horns, and rowing. All set to a performance that is way better to experience than to listen to on an album. If this concert was about them, I’d definitely go into more detail.
After their set, they tossed their picks, drumsticks, and arm bands into the crowd and left the stage. We sat there in the cold rain for what seemed like about an hour, sorry I didn’t keep better track of time. It was cold, and my phone was mainly in my pocket to I could be immersed in the experience.
Stage hands hung up a very large white curtain while they changed sets. Remember in the beginning of the article when I mentioned 10-15mph winds? That was more than the curtain could handle. They struggled for a while to keep it tacked down to the edge of the stage so others could change the set. Ultimately, it fell and all but one stage hand abandoned it. Let’s just say, I had a feeling going to a Ghost concert, I would at some point see a guy dressed up in a white sheet. I wish I had my camera out for that one… It was to much. He freed himself from the curtain ultimately, and we got to watch the entire process of breaking down Amon Amarth’s set and setting up Ghost’s set, which was mostly behind Amon Amarth’s backdrop.
Ghost, the Concert
Finally, we hear the religious chanting that tells us the show is about to begin. Imperium begins to play as the nameless ghouls enter the stage and take their places. As the track ends, guitars rip out Kaisarion and Papa Emeritus IV takes the stage. The crowd roared with screams as the much anticipated 1.5 hour theatrical performance has finally begun.
The ghouls did great hyping up the crowd, bantering with each other, working their stage presence, even the tambourine player was giving it all she had. What we didn’t get enough of? Papa! It seems like every instrumental portion of a song, he had gone off stage for another unnecessary wardrobe change. Often, it was just a jacket. We don’t care of you dance awkward, we still love you Tobias Forge! Mick Jagger danced awkward and they made a whole song about it.
Papa, if you didn’t want to feel awkward, maybe a bit less with the jokes between songs. Saying that if it wasn’t so cold out, you’d f*** everyone outside the venue just feels weird when such a large portion of your audience is under 16 years of age, married, or just not into being lined up like cattle for our poking. As the concert came closer to the end, he tries some interaction again asking how many more songs he should sing. We’ve all looked up the setlist. We already know what songs you’re going to play, and that some of your most popular songs like Mummy Dust or Life Eternal will not be making an appearance. Don’t make us try to go through the setlist in our head to figure out what songs are left, just play them.
There are other ways he could have made it more interactive with the crowd that make sense. Maybe comment on some regional observations you’ve made. Maybe stop in at the largest goth shop in western New York for a brief appearance (screw you Nick Storch, it would have been awesome for everyone.) Actually play your most popular songs.
Was it worth it?
In the end, we all had a great time. Premium parking saved us some time, so it probably was worth it. Express parking would have been a better name for it. The VIP experience, maybe we did something wrong, but ultimately, it seems like it was a complete rip-off. We did end up getting a credit for a future VIP experience to try again, but as it stands now, I would not pay for it, nor would I recommend anyone pay for it. At least, if it’s being provided by Future Beat.
The concert itself was definitely worth it. As I said, we had a great time. The performances were spot on. A longer Ghost set would have been great, and more Papa time on stage would have been excellent. If you have to change your wardrobe, make sense with it. Something more than a different color jacket. Jokes were cringe, but didn’t ruin the experience. I would 100% see Ghost every time they come to a town near me.
