Ok, I am no longer a Ghost virgin! Have some (long, mostly opinion based) NC ritual highlights. Song order might be wacky bc holy fuck I have a shit memory and can't think straight lmao
(Oh also I've now decided I'm calling the new guy Gale and the new girl Vesper. Just so y'all know <3)
- First and foremost, HOT. Hot and so humid. Miserable. Please note I forgot all about both of these things the second Peacefield started.
- Spotted Vanessa in the distance outside, then twice more inside. She seems so sweet, and looked lovely in her ritual dress!
- Museum is so sick! It's crazy to see how TINY all the outfits (and bodies) on display are. The era 4 ghouls costume HAD to be Dew's, it's SO SMALL! Didn't spend a ton of time in it, I was super dizzy from the outside heat and needed to go sit. Copia's white suit was there too! He's also bitty lmao.
- But onto the music.
- Peacefield amazing live. Sounds exactly like the album (except for a few flubbed words). The moment the curtain dropped took my breath away. Many such instances this night.
- Lachryma is a certified banger anyway, but godDAMN. Backing vocals? Immaculate. The girls sounded amazing and so did the new guy! His voice is wonderful, he's playful and a little silly, and at one point (during Mummy Dust I'd like to say?) he was doing body rolls behind his keys. Adore. He is also HUGE and will indeed deserve the title of big sexy #4.
- Spirit fucks incredibly hard. Like, INCREDIBLY hard. Dew and Aeon doing their interlude at center stage was excellent.
- Dew is still booted, presumably for protective reasons. Perpetua teased him about it (playful) and said the boot was kickass 👍
- Aeon is SO active. He was all over the place, so much energy. He did the thing where he came out during a costume change all cute and did the applause wars. He was also, as always, rolling all over the place like a critter. Huge fan. He had a few very cute moments with Papa, Rain, Dew as well.
- Per Aspera. Immaculate. Stunning. This is around the point where I was just Experiencing It and things get vague lmao. However, I will remain completely delusional about a single moment. Dew did the "as above" gesture and I did it back, and I SWEAR he was looking directly at me for that. No way, I was three rows into the floor seats, but G O D I want to believe.
- (Also they were really REALLY good seats omfg)
- Elizabeth. Holy FUCK. I cannot tell you guys how FERAL the crowd went for that. I wonder if Perpetua got tired of no one remembering the lyrics to Satan Prayer 😔
- Speaking of Perpetua, that man is IMPOSSIBLE to look away from. Like, you guys know I'm a Ghoul Guy through and through. I literally missed half of their bits because I could NOT take my eyes off of him. Incredible stage presence, sounds phenomenal, and the outfits? Chef's fuckin SMOOCH.
- He's also a big fan of mic tricks, he was flailing that thing around everywhere. He also did that down-low fingering move and HOO BOY.
- CMLS. I was expecting Majesty, ngl, but oh my GOD I never thought that experience live would be so different. Gale's backing vocals are INCREDIBLE omfg like...yeah I wish I had gotten to hear Swiss' "call me" for myself too, but omfg this guy can SING.
- TFIAFL. Started with the usual little speech (I cannot get over how much easier he is to understand without the mask holy hell) and then melted right into it. 2034 and all.
- I should mention that all the stage stuff (with the exception of malfunctioning side screens) all went off just fine. These visuals really are stunning.
- Also I personally feel like the audio was the tiiiiniest bit off? Bass was super loud and the guitars felt kinda quiet. Certainly didn't sound bad, could've just been me, but still. Did not effect my enjoyment level at ALL.
- Anyway.
- Devil Church/Cirice. Oh boy. Papa Cirice'd one of the stage cameras and his face popped up on the screens and I could not blink for a single second of that stare. It literally made my nipples so hard they hurt. I am not joking.
- DATHOML was beautiful. It's never been my favorite, but it really is something special live. Every song is. They could play two hours of La Mantra Mori and I'd thank them for it.
- Satanized starts with the electronic cue from the start of Umbra and it confused a BUNCH of people at first but then the guitars started and we lost our minds. I could barely hear Papa over the crowd singing and it was awesome.
- Umbra was a masterpiece. The keytar/guitar battle is fucking GLORIOUS, just like I thought it would be and I'm having so many Dew/Cirrus thoughts because of it xhyxdgd. Papa ascending with the cowbell GOT me, and he gave it to Aurora!
- Year Zero. I thought I was prepared. I was not. No Raindrop choke, but they did get all close to each other. Also Rain was once again a shit and wouldn't move when Perpetua told him to. Kept mocking his little nods to get out of the way 😭 Also tail omg TAIL.
- He Is. Also WOEFULLY underprepared for this one. Actual religious experience. The visuals here are fantastic in particular.
- Ritual took a lot of people by surprise! Dew had his bit at the beginning with Perpetua, and his bit at the end with Rain. That one was especially cute, Rain was watching with his cheek resting on his hand and then doing a hand motion to tell Dew to keep going when he stopped. So cute. Also Vesper and Aurora danced off their platforms to go play tambourine with him, and it was so sweet.
- Rain looks amazing in the veil, can confirm. It was billowing in the breeze more than once, and it's rad to see him headbang in it. Can also confirm that black bass Rain is extraordinarily cunty. Also I heard that he lifted his bass at one point and was apparently either chubbed up or is PACKING so. Do what you will with that information.
- Rats was SO good. The bass was insane, made my chest rattle and probably would have been the one to take my voice if it wasn't gone already lmao
- KTGG was SO fun. This is another one that has grown on me over time, but live? GOD. I thiiiink this is the song where Gale invited Aurora onto his platform for a little dance, unsure, but possible!
- Mummy Dust was a fucking EVENT. I had a feeling it would be but omg. The growls were perfection, and ghoul antics were good as ever. Cirrus' solo? Beyond incredible. My characterization of her has changed so much with this lmao. Finally got to see Dew jerk off with my own two eyes! He did it after sticking his whole finger in his mouth and then doing the slow chest touch thing, and I needed to die the whole time. Cannons didn't blow much our way, but the sight of the air full of confetti and mummy bux filled me with determination joy.
- Monstrance Clock is such a great closer. Just the right speed, the right vibes, it's perfect, absolutely perfect. Could not have been better.
- ENCORE TIME
- MoaC is so much better live than I ever imagined it could be. The crowd went insane, of course, and Perpertua introduced it as his daddy's song. Also, when he tried to give the cues for the ghouls to stop so he could do the "marijuana" thing, they all kept playing. Kept going until Perpetua stomped up Mountain's steps and did it again but more exaggerated and Mountain got all sheepish and did a little "sorry, sorry" hand raise. Very cute.
- (Overall I'd say my impression of Perpetua with the ghouls is that there is very little trust or respect between them so far - with the exceptions of Vesper and Dew)
- Dance Macabre was a fuckin BOP omfg. The rainbow lights and the sparkling outfits and Papa's silver jacket and and and. His mic seemed to cut out during the wobble wobbles tho. Also didn't get confetti blown towards us this time, but grabbed some off the floor after lmao.
- He did the joint roll, and someone caught it this time!
- And finally, Square Hammer. What a fucking RUSH. Cerberus Mode is REAL and the effect is VISCERAL. It was the perfect loud rush to cap off an absolutely perfect show. Also Perpetua called Dew a little cocksucker after the fistbump. Hope he knows from experience.
- Bonus: the couple next to us had been to two shows on this run prior, and said this was the best one. I think they must have gotten their stuff all lined up and worked out the kinks. Excellent news!
- (BONUS 2 FT UNMASKED GHOUL MENTION) While people were filing in, the girl behind us noticed a certain poofy-haired former ghoulette in the stands!! Perpetua gave her a little finger wave at one point, just for a second, and it was adorable.
And here's the haul:
Overall? 7378336⁷⁸/10 experience. Easily one of the best nights of my life. Thank you so, so much to @iamthecomet for coming all the way down here just for this, and to @obsidianghoul for the bracelets, ghoul masks, sticker, keychains and for scoring us mummy dust!!!!! It was awesome meeting you <3
Also I clapped so hard my hands bruised 👍
Now to do it all over again in two weeks with @belle--ofthebrawl and @forlorn-crows >:3
