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The most controversial concert Cynthia Woods Mitchell PavilionSeason ‘s’ takes center stage on Saturday 2 September with the arrival of the Swedish heavy metal band ghost.

With four albums reaching the top 10 of the Billboard albums chart, including her most recent release Emperareaching number one, three Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Metal Performance in 2016, and multiple nominations for the 2023 iHeartRadio Music Awards, Ghost faces opposition from some critics who denounce their performance as anti-Christian.

Swedish death metal band Amon Amarth is the opening act for “Special Guest” (show starts at 7:30pm). Ticket prices range from $29 to $169 plus pet service fee, available at Ticketmaster and the Suite. website. Tickets on the secondary market are as low as $10 for turf and up to $700 plus introduction fees.

Controversy is Ghost’s surround sound. In 2012, a Nashville gospel group hired to sing backup on the Ghost album walked out of the studio when they saw lyrics they deemed anti-Christian. Ghost was unable to find a record label in the United States willing to press an album because the cover contained nudity.

A greasy spoon from Chicago called Kuma’s Corner has created a “Ghost Burger” made with goat shoulder and red wine, served with a company chip. Some food bloggers have denounced the burger as sacrilegious. Ghost fans responded that he was “sacrificial”. Time magazine He described it as one of the “most influential burgers ever”. It’s still on the menu as a frequent favorite, like the McRib at McDonald’s.

In 2018, Texas pastor Larry Long and his followers protested a performance of Ghost at the Wagner Noel Center for the Performing Arts in Midland. Pastor Larry Long called Ghost “Satanists” and asked the venue to cancel the show. Days before the event, Long and his supporters gathered to “summon the blood of Christ” in protest of Ghost’s appearance.

“We have freedom of religion in America, which means freedom of irreligion and anti-Christian ideology. So, yeah, the band bothers me,” Long told a talk host on Midland Radio.

He continued, “I think society should be concerned about that. This is not healthy for society. Because we Christians believe Satan is real, and I’m sure the band believes Satan is real. I suspect they only do that as part of their approach to music.

The venue management issued a statement. Shock rock has been a part of the heavy metal scene since the early days of Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper and Marilyn Manson. Each artist brings to the stage their own version of the rough world. Ghost continues to follow in the footsteps of those metal bands. The venue is dedicated to presenting a variety of Offers that suit different audiences.

The show went on without incident, and the 1,200-seat building nearly sold out.

Ward Cynthia Woods Mitchell is expecting a crowd of 8,500 to 9,000 fans for Saturday night’s Ghost concert. This will be Ghost’s second time at The Woodlands outdoor show.

The group opened for Avenged Sevenfold in 2013. There were no incidents or protests at the time and officials do not expect any incidents or protests this time around. In fact, there has never been a show protest in the wing’s 20-year history.

Lead singer Tobias Forge formed Ghost in Linkoping, Sweden in 2006. Three years later, the group released their debut album, titled named opus. keranga British magazine dedicated to heavy metal music, placed one of the album’s tracks, “Ritual”, on its list of the “50 Most Sinister Songs of All Time”.

Tobias performs various incarnations of a satanic priest called Pope Emeritus. So far he has been Baba Fakhri II, Baba Fakhri III, Baba Fakhri IV, Baba Fakhri Safar and Baba Nihil. Prior to the current tour, Ghost was the supporting act for Metallica and Guns N’ Roses in the US

Ghost’s music has been categorized as death metal, dark rock, and symphonic metal along the lines of Metallica, Judas Priest, and quintet. Theatrically, Ghost Concerts has drawn comparisons to Alice Cooper, KISS, and David Bowie. Ghost music is not for the sensitive of ear, the theme is not for the pious of soul, and their concerts are not for the faint of heart.

Which means I will be there.

Contact Ken Hoffman at ken@culturemap.com or at ken@culturemap.com Twitter.