GHOST's Phone Ban: Backlash, Breakthroughs & A New Live Era

In an era where smartphones dominate live experiences, Swedish rock phenomenon Ghost is taking a bold stand for artistic integrity. During a fan Q&A on July 4 at HMV Vault in Birmingham, UK, frontman Tobias Forge shed light on the controversial decision to make Ghost's 2025 world tour a "phone-free experience", a move that has sparked intense discussion among fans, artists, and industry insiders alike.

Unlike traditional bans where devices are confiscated, Ghost is partnering with Yondr, a company that provides pouches allowing concertgoers to keep their phones secured but inaccessible during the show. This allows fans to maintain possession of their devices while removing the distraction of screens. When asked if there was internal resistance to the idea, Forge admitted there was some hesitation.

"Oh, pushback. I think that the first initial pushback, it wasn't necessarily muscular pushback, but it was an inquiry to maybe reconsider. But that was more from — you know, the first person that you'd speak to when you're an artist is obviously your manager and your agent. And 'I have this idea.' It's, like , 'Mm-hmm. You sure about that?'

"And then the agent comes and, like, 'Oh, I love the idea, but…' Because it also adds a lot of baggage to the administration part and the practical bit of the concert, and anything that makes things harder is always frowned upon. And, of course, we had to really vet that idea. What does it mean? Who has done this before? Oh, not many. Okay. But who does that?

"The thing is that there are a lot of artists [who phone shame the audience], and I know a lot of artists — a lot more than let people know — absolutely hate the phones. But it's one thing to phone shame people and [it's] another to go through the hurdle of doing what we did. And, of course, we had to weigh that. Essentially, what people wanna know [is] what does it cost? What's the ramifications of it, time-wise and economically? 'Okay, that's about right.'"

Forge’s dissatisfaction with phones at shows had been brewing for some time. He noted a marked shift in fan energy during recent tours: "I am vehemently against what I experienced, culminating on the last bit of our last tour cycle, where — and just for complete transparency, we went obviously to all kinds of different countries where temperament differs.

"So, with or without phones, there are certain parts of the world where people are just generally slightly subdued. But there are other parts of the world where people are exactly opposite and very engaged. And it really hit me when we came to certain countries where they have generally been much more enthusiastic, and you come out — there's, like, 18,000 people there, and there's, like, 10,000 phones. And they're not even bouncing anymore. And you're just like, 'What is this? What has happened?'"

According to Forge, the new phone-free policy has been a resounding success. He described the difference onstage as immediately palpable: "Oh, absolutely. [It's been a] fucking life changer. Life changer for the existence of the band. Absolutely. We had a collective… Just walking off stage first night [of the tour] was just, like, this has completely changed the entire outlook of how this feels. So, yeah, now we're doing that. And I think that there are a lot of bands that are looking at this and just, like, 'Okay, so how do we do that too?'"