A Christian group gathered close to the Wagner Noel Performing Arts Center in Midland, Texas, over the weekend to pray ahead of Ghost’s appearance at the venue tonight (November 19).
The band are on the road on their A Pale Tour Named Death, but their appearance in Texas has worried some, with Midland Pastor Larry Long saying he thinks Tobias Forge and co “are all about worshipping and bringing glory to Satan.”
Long tells CBS 7: “We’re not here to protest. We’re simply here to pray, to pray His protection, to plead the blood of Christ over our community.
“This kind of band will bring spiritual influences into this area. We’re concerned about it, because we believe the devil is real, just as we believe God is real.”
Long adds: “The fact that they describe themselves as a worship band for Satan, is, I think quite shocking. I think most of our community would be surprised to learn that.
“They cover their faces with masks that look like devils in their concerts, and they are all about worshipping and bringing glory to Satan.
“It’s just not the thing I think most of Permian Basin would be happy to have in our community.”
Long also said that he believed that the people who the venue is named after would be upset to learn that Ghost were playing there.
But the venue later released a statement to CBS 7, which reads: “Shock rock has been a part of the heavy metal landscape from the early days of Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper and Marilyn Manson. Each performer bringing to the stage their own version of a cruel world.
“Ghost, with their album’s no.3 spot on the Billboard charts, is continuing in those metal bands’ footsteps.”
The statement continues: “The venue is dedicated to offering a variety of performances that appeal to different audiences.”
Last week, frontman Forge said that although he grew up with the “cultural Satanism” found in some heavy metal, he “wouldn’t sacrifice a baby to a half-ram that I believe to be living underground.”
