Ghost's 'Phone-Free' Tour May Have Hit Its First Snag As Thousands Endured Lengthy Lines For Last Night's Birmingham Show

It seems that Ghost‘s ‘phone-free experience‘ tour may have hit its first initial snag. The band’s set last night, April 20th, in Birmingham, UK experienced lengthy wait times that left thousands of fans stuck in lines lasting 40 mins or more according to various local reports.

While not explicitly specified, speculation among fans has run rampant that that this seemingly unprecedented wait was a result of the more stringent security protocols associated with the intended phone-free experience. Those protocols demand each concertgoer to have their smartphone locked away in a Yondr pouch, which they will remain in possession of during the event.

While there are provided areas where fans can go to unlock and access their phone within the venue, the use of those devices has been banned in the main halls of the venues for the duration of the concert. NME gathered the below posts on social media showcasing the wait associated with last night’s show. In light of the unexpected wait, the band delayed their intended set start time to accommodate for the fiasco.

Tobias Forge, who serves as the mastermind and vocalist for the multi-platinum occult rock outfit, told Planet Rock of his decision to block smartphone use during his band’s 2025 touring:

“I don’t wanna turn this into an ageist thing where I’m gonna tell 14-year-olds everything was better back then. But I swear that the experience of shows and the making of memories, the making of magic, was much more powerful. Some of the best shows I’ve ever been to, I have maybe not even seen a picture from that because they all live here [in my head]. They live in my core. That’s the memory I have of that.

And that is an experience I wish for… Obviously, the part of our crowd that are older and more aware, maybe this becomes a little bit nostalgic then. But I really believe that the younger portion of our crowd will, as they did in L.A., come out saying, like, ‘That was not only a great concert; that was also an overwhelming experience.’ Because I do believe that you will feel that.”

Ghost‘s new album “Skeletá” will arrive on April 25th with an in-store midnight launch planned across numerous retail outlets. The ongoing world tour will continue as follows:

04/22 Antwerp, BEL – Sportpaleis
04/23 Frankfurt, DE – Festhalle Frankfurt
04/24 Munich, GER – Olympiahalle
04/26 Lyon, FRA – LDLC Arena
04/27 Toulouse, FRA – Zénith Toulouse Métropole
04/29 Lisbon, POR – MEO Arena
04/30 Madrid, SPA – Palacio Vistalegre
05/03 Zürich, SWI – Hallenstadion Zürich
05/04 Milan, ITA – Unipol Forum
05/07 Berlin, GER – Uber Arena
05/08 Amsterdam, NET – Ziggo Dome
05/10 Lodz, POL – Atlas Arena
05/11 Prague, CE – O2 Arena
05/13 Paris, FRA – Accor Arena
05/14 Oberhausen, GER – Rudolf Weber-ARENA
05/15 Hannover, GER – ZAG Arena
05/17 Copenhagen, DEN – Royal Arena
05/20 Tampere, FIN – Nokia Arena
05/22 Linköping, SWE – Saab Arena
05/23 Sandviken, SWE – Göransson Arena
05/24 Oslo, NOR – Oslo Spektrum
07/09 Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena
07/11 Atlanta, GA – State Farm Arena
07/12 Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena
07/13 Miami, FL – Kaseya Center
07/15 Raleigh, NC – Lenovo Center
07/17 Cleveland, OH – Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
07/18 Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena
07/19 Philadelphia, PA – Wells Fargo Center
07/21 Boston, MA – TD Garden
07/22 New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
07/24 Detroit, MI – Little Caesars Arena
07/25 Louisville, KY – KFC Yum! Center
07/26 Nashville, TN – Bridgestone Arena
07/28 Grand Rapids, MI – Van Andel Arena
07/29 Milwaukee, WI – Fiserv Forum
07/30 St. Louis, MO – Enterprise Center
08/01 Rosemont, IL – Allstate Arena
08/02 Saint Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
08/03 Omaha, NE – CHI Health Center
08/05 Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
08/07 Denver, CO – Ball Arena
08/09 Las Vegas, NV – MGM Grand Garden Arena
08/10 San Diego, CA – Viejas Arena
08/11 Phoenix, AZ – Footprint Center
08/14 Austin, TX – Moody Center
08/15 Fort Worth, TX – Dickies Arena
08/16 Houston, TX – Toyota Center
09/24 Mexico City, MEX – Palacio de los Deportes