Paris. June 14th, 2022. For the first time in 7 years, The Ghost Inside played a club-show. Only 1000 fans but 1000 die-hard fans. Stronger than ever, the 5 American boys are more alive than ever and delivered one of the best shows they’ve ever done. With the support of Deez Nuts and Landmvrks, the evening was almost perfect!
November 19th, 2015. This is a date some people will never forget. That day, while they were on tour, The Ghost Inside were involved in a fatal accident with another truck. Both drivers were killed in the shock. The musicians all had many injuries, including Andrew (drummer) losing his leg. We all thought the band was over, they they’ll need time to recover physically and mentally. But these guys are different. So are they fans. As soon as they were capable of, they all went back to their instruments. They shared the all process on their socials so we were able to see what happened and encourage them as much as we can. The most heartbreaking moment was to see Andrew going back behind the drums in the hospital with only one leg. Like his family explained, as soon as he woke up after the accident, he wanted to have drumsticks in their hands. When music is your job and mean so much, you have only 2 choices after such a tragic accident: stop music because you can’t deal with it mentality anymore (which is totally understandable as a reaction – many of us could act like it) or you try to come back as soon as possible. The 5 guys from TGI chosed the second option. And even if they had to postpone their comeback – they were supposed to play at the very last Vans Warped Tour in the States -, we knew they’ll come back. On July 13th 2019, 1332 days exactly after their accident, they made their comeback on stage in their home-town Los Angeles. The show has been soldout in a few minutes and was their biggest headliner show ever. Big set-list, tons of pyro and effects on stage: they make sure to make it their biggest show ever. We didn’t have the chance to cross the ocean to see them but we saw the videos (even the most shitty videos in Instagram stories) and it was so emotionnal. The words on Jonathan during the show travelled worldwide: « We don’t know if it was the last show ever of the band or if we gonna play hundreds more ». After such a show and the hope of the fans worldwide, it would have been a pity if they didn’t continue. Hopefully, they did and even if the Covid postpone their comeback in Europe, they are finally here. So are we. Ready to sing, scream, mosh and cry as much as possible!
Before the venue opened, we had the chance to have a chat with the whole band speaking about this show, the new album, their accident obviously and everything in between. They explained to us that it’s pretty sure they won’t be able anymore to do a long tour like before 2016. They don’t have the energy anymore to do it. On this short run, they do only 5 shows including Paris. But next time – so there is a next time -, they could play Brussels. Can you imagine a big show of The Ghost Inside at the Ancienne Belgique?! It would be soldout for sure! Not like today when the French public didn’t even sell out a venue of 1400p capacity. Sadly. They also mention working on new music as well: the latest album « The Ghost Inside » was ready only a couple of weeks before the lockdown started so they’re motivated to release new songs, more than 2 years after the last ones.
Let’s speak a bit about the show itself! Opener for this special show, Deez Nuts had a bigger and better crowd than the intimate show they played a few days before in Brussels. We thought that the show would be boring – not because of the band but because of the small crowd already in the venue – but we all had a great time. A few die-hards at the barrier and some more in the small pit behind: many people knew the classics. I Hustle Ever Everyday, Stray True or Band Of Brothers: they played all their classics and a few new songs. Not a lot of response for the new ones but a pretty decent one for the classics. Even if the sound was not really good, it was a great way to start the night and also remembered the good times when we saw a few times Deez Nuts and The Ghost Inside touring together, especially when DN were at their prime!
After a short break and many more people in the beautiful venue that is the Elysee MontMartre, we were ready to see again Landmvrks. The third time we see them in 2022 after the 2 shows on their successful headliner tour in April. It’s more a special guest than a basic opener here: not local band – officially from Marseille, 800km away – but they proved already they have a huge success everywhere, including Paris where their headline show 3 months ago was soldout with 500 people inside the Maroquinerie. And the first seconds of the show tonight confirmed it: a lot of people were waiting them. And it’s fully understandable: their last album « Lost In The Waves » is insane and put them on the way of a great success!
Starting by the classic duo Lost In A Wave / Rainfall, they put the crowd on fire. Sound is good. Band is good. Crowd is good. We gonna have a wonderful time during 40 minutes. And with a few surprises: Aaron Matts did a featuring during Say No Word (like he did during the whole tour in March-April) but more unexpected, Matteo (ex-Novelists) came to sing on the last song, Fantasy, like he did on the original song. Started in a new-school Landmvrks and finished in an old-school way with this song everybody knew in the audience! During the show, they brand new single featuring Novelists has been released by the way. For the rest of the show, what can we do except it was really really good? At the end, we just think about one thing: « They put some pressure on The Ghost Inside with a show like that! »… but we saw very quickly that we didn’t have to worry about it!
Set-list : Lost In A Wave – Rainfall – Blistering – Death – Say No Word (ft. Aaron Matts) – Scars – Self Made Black Hole – Fantasy (ft. Matteo ex-Novelists).
They took more time than scheduled to prepare the stage. But can we really be angry for 15 minutes when we’ve been waiting during 7 years?! Come on. Not at all. And when the black curtains opened to reveal the stage with Andrew alone in the dark behind the stage with the intro and waiting the other guys to come on stage, we knew it’s gonna be emotionnal. And it was! Starting with Avalanche, people became crazy at the first second. But we were many levels behind the finish. We’ll go crescendo song after song. The first big highlight of the evening was Dear Youth (the 4th song) when we all start to sing-along the main riff of the song. It remembered so many great moments of another time: when they didn’t have their car accident, when Covid-19 didn’t exist, when the band was on their prime and when we were able to enjoy their show at Groezrock (R.I.P.). So intense. So emotionnal. And it was only the beginning. Because the first big moment was the song just after with Dark Horse. From the first second to the last one, in every chorus, in every moment, the crowd sang so loud we thought we were more than a thousand in the venue!
They played songs from every albums including the new one « The Ghost Inside » but the major part of the audience wanted to hear and sing the old ones, means the songs released before their terrific accident in 2015. Song like Out Of Control has a really good answer but it’s the old-school duo Faith Or Forginess / Unspoken that destroyed the floor for good! Pretty insane. But this is what we expected and the Parisian fans didn’t disappoint!
Several times during the set, the band through Jonathan and Jim thanks the public for being here, for waiting so long and for killing it tonight. After such an history, we were able to feel the truth, the emotion, in their voices. And the some cries in the audience. How could it be different?! Jonathan took also the time to applause Deez Nuts and his new favorite band, Landmvrks. A proof the French band killed it and made a good impression to everybody, from the fans to the other bands.
After a new song, Make Or Break, and an old one, Between The Lines, The Ghost Inside finished their set a first time with the beautiful Engine 45. And you know how it ends. It was already magical to hear the crowd singing the last chorus in 2015 when they were on the highway to the big success. But hearing it again now, after 7 years, it was fuckin’ insane. But we knew of course they were going back for an encore. There’s one specific song we were all waiting for: Aftermath. The first song they released after the accident on 22 April 2020. It was their first release since « Dear Youth » in 2014 and the video/single was heartbreaking as it started with the TV News speaking about their accidents. It gave us all tears and chills the first time we watch it for sure. And finally hear it live was really intense. The perfect way to end the perfect show!
At the end, the all band thanks of audience of course, giving tons of mediators and set-lists to the fans – like they also did during the last songs to all the people who crowdsurfed until the front of the stage – and Jonathan stayed on stage telling us a few times Andrew will leave his spot behind the drums to come say hi – and give a few drumsticks too. When he arrived after a few minutes, everybody gave him the applause he deserved. He worked so hard to be able to be here again, playing drums like nothing happened. He’s a true hero and a model for all of us. Like the rest of the band.
Set-list: Avalanche – The Outcast – The Great Unkown – Dear Youth – Dark Horse – Move Me – Out Of Control – Pressure Point – One Choice – Mercy – Faith Or Forginess – Unspoken – Make Or Break – Between The Lines – Engine 45. Encore : 1333 – Still Alive – Aftermath.
This show of The Ghost Inside was all we could expect: the perfect return of the 5 heroes! During about 1h10, they gave us all the energy they had and it feels like they never left. They just play in venus so much bigger now! It’s hard to put words to describe really this evening. We just can say thank you The Ghost Inside… and we’ll see you again in London!