My First Ritual - Kansas City 10/27/2018
AHHHHHHH. So I’m kind of a no-name blog in the Ghost Tumblr community. I mostly add useless replies to posts, but I had my first ritual last night, and ohhh how I’ve transcended. I understand why the fans call these “rituals” because there are no other words that describe it. Long post ahead, but I’d love for you to read it. I think you’ll enjoy it.
~I went dressed as a generic Sister of Sin and got asked for a few photos, which was flattering. I bought a fast pass to get into the venue early and some very nice people let me squeeze in next to them up against the barricade (to the right) when I said I was there alone. The security guy chatting with us was super cool. He liked that I memorized all their albums for this.
~I recognized one of the pre-show choral pieces from that Vine of the church choir and the one vocalist sucking helium out of a balloon to hit the high note. Then I promptly lost my shit after I realized it.
~Just.... “Ashes” and that curtain going up. My first time seeing the Nameless Ghouls on the stage. I was in awe. Then “Rats” started and I screamed when I realized that my place on the barricade was smack in the center in front of the platform that Dewdrop stands on.
~Lots of intense eye contact and swaying with me and head tilts because of that. I died like four times.
~Copia trying and hilariously failing to direct different sections of the crowd to do the call-and-response bits during “Con Clavi Con Dio.”
~THE TINY ONES ARE SO MUCH TINIER IN PERSON OMG
~THE GHOULETTES AND THEIR ADORABLE LITTLE COORDINATED DANCE ROUTINES! BABES!
~Being able to sing along to EVERYTHING and nearly throwing my neck out from headbanging so hard.
~Cardinal Copia shamelessly flirting with the middle-aged dad next to me throughout the show and his 16-year-old daughter being absolutely mortified while the stepmom cheered.
~The sassy, friendly guitar duel between Dewdrop and Aether before “Cirice,” ending with Aether’s knuckle-cracking and off-key “Smoke on the Water” intro before chucking his pick and giving up.
~Dewdrop extending his hand to me during the lines "I can feel the thunder that's breaking in your heart" and "Can't you see that you're lost without me," trotting down the steps toward me for the latter.
~Just. MIASMA. MIASMAAAA. PAPA NIHIL. GET ITTT.
~Me taking off my nun’s veil because it kept trying to fly off my head. Dewdrop gave me a good, long stare when he saw it was gone. I should’ve thrown it up on stage at him.
~The white suit of sex and Copia not being able to get anyone to settle down and shut up because of it.
~Copia slipped but didn’t fall while sauntering across the stage during “Pro Memoria” and I doubled over in laughter when I saw him trying to play it cool. He saw me cackling and put a finger to his lips in a “Shhh, don’t tell anyone” motion.
~WITCH. IMAGE. And me crying because of it.
~AND THE MOST MAGICAL MOMENT OF ALL. I don’t know how it happened, but DEWDROP SERENADED ME DURING “LIFE ETERNAL.” WHAT. The crowd cheered so loudly when the song started. I was singing and sobbing and smiling and wiping away tears as I swayed side to side. I looked up to see Dewdrop doing his head tilt at me so I gazed at him and started singing the song to him. He swayed with me and oh so gently played his guitar while looking back; he never looked away. The music flowed and ebbed and swelled and cut out as we got to the end. Instead of standing there still like the other Ghouls, he extended his arm out toward me and silently encouraged me to do the same. I (or maybe we, who knows) sang the final “If you had life eternal” line of the song. THEN ALMOST IN SLOW MOTION, he threw me his guitar pick. AND I CAUGHT IT. Y’ALL! I DIDN'T SCREW IT UP. I couldn’t help but blow him a kiss when the song ended and he blew me several kisses back before walking off stage for intermission. Lots of congratulating on the catch from people around me. I CAN’T EVEN. I ASCENDED.
~Me realizing the Gregorian chant playing before Act II is from the masked orgy scene of the movie Eyes Wide Shut. Cue the war flashbacks.
~Aether and Dewdrop switching sides of the stage so now I’m making intense eye contact with Aether now. And he points at me and does his bend-over-and stare thing at me a lot. Dammit, Ghouls.
~The collective feeling of togetherness and being in sync during “Year Zero.” It was otherworldly. I felt like I finally belonged. We were surely a congregation.
~Copia’s thrusting during “Mummy Dust” is even better in person. I felt them from where I was standing. They nearly knocked me on my ass. I EVEN CAUGHT PAPA DOLLARS, YO.
~Me bawling my eyes out during “If You Have Ghosts” and Copia’s speech about never being alone. I went to the ritual alone but man, did I feel like I was part of a family.
~Going absolutely nuts during “Square Hammer.” My calves cramped up.
~Aether pointing at me and throwing me one of his picks at the “end” of the show. The guy next to me smacked it away. I was torked but I’m lucky to even have the one I do so eh.
~The crowd booing the band when the show “ended” before they came back on for “Monstrance Clock.”
~”TO CELEBRATE THE FEMALE ORGASM. IN THE NAME OF SATAN!”
~A completely flubbed bra toss during the song that ended up smacking me in the back and a very embarrassed woman coming up and asking for it when the show was over. Bless her.
I honestly couldn’t have asked for a more perfect first ritual. I ended up in front, the band sounded tight as hell, the crowd was very nice and well-behaved, and I walked away with a few souvenirs. My only regret is not taking more pictures or videos, but I really wanted to experience my first ritual to the fullest. I’ll make up for it at the Omaha show on Nov. 6! I have the M&G for that too!
Until next time!
