ST. LOUIS – On August 11, at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in St. Louis, while Ghost was preparing to perform on Friday night, fans were halted at the venue’s entrance and asked to remove any face paint.
Since then, the Amphitheatre has issued an apology for the confusion and clarified that it was not the band that requested the removal of face paint.
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 15: Papa Emeritus III and the Nameless Ghouls of the band Ghost pose in the press room at the The 58th GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on February 15, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jason LaVeris/FilmMagic)
Two days prior to the concert, the venue released a statement indicating that the use of face paint or mask coverings was prohibited. Despite this public announcement of the face paint policy, a significant number of fans from both bands arrived at the concert venue only to realize that they were in violation of the policy.
As a result, they were either denied entry or instructed by venue staff to remove their face paint, causing widespread confusion about what was allowed and what was not.
The Amphitheatre has subsequently released the following statement:
“Thanks to everyone who joined us for an amazing Ghost show last night. On Behalf of our crew, we’d like to apologize for a miscommunication about removing face paint. This was not directed by Ghost. If you experienced issues at last night’s show, please reach out to us at Hollywoodampstl@livesnation.com, so we can improve for future shows.
Ghost has also issued a statement:
“[MESSAGE FROM THE CLERGY]
We wish to inform you that we will ALWAYS encourage creative expression, we will NEVER stifle it.”
Who is Ghost?
Ghost is a Swedish rock band that formed in Linköping in 2006. They released a three-song demo in 2010, then their first full-length album, “Opus Eponymous,” and a record titled “Elizabeth.”
Kerrang! The magazine, recognized Ghost’s song “Ritual” as one of “The 50 Most Evil Songs Ever.” Ghost’s tour is set to continue through September.