Ghost Ban Phone Recording In Shows That’s Why They Will Stay Touring

Ghost frontman Tobias Forge recently revealed that the overwhelming use of phones at live shows once pushed him to consider ending the band’s touring altogether. However, a bold decision to limit phone use on their current tour has turned into what he describes as a “life-changing” experience.

Phone Ban Met With Resistance — But It Worked

During a recent fan Q&A (via Blabbermouth), Forge shared that when he first proposed the idea of a phone ban, his team wasn’t immediately on board. “Because it adds a lot of baggage to the administration part and the practical bit of the concert,” he explained. “And anything that makes things harder is always frowned upon.”

Despite the pushback, the band went forward with the plan. Concertgoers still keep their phones, but they’re placed in sealed pouches that can only be opened in designated areas outside the main venue. While not ideal for everyone, Forge felt it was a needed change after watching the energy at shows fade over the past 13 years.

Phones Were Draining the Live Experience

“It really hit me when we came to certain countries where they have generally been much more enthusiastic,” he said. “There’s like 18,000 people there, and there’s like, 10,000 phones. And [the crowd’s] not even bouncing anymore.”

He clarified that fans weren’t trying to be disrespectful—just unaware of the collective effect. “You come out on a stage and you’re expecting like, ‘Fucking people are gonna rage!’… [but] the crowd has just got less and less and less engaged in exchange for these phones.”

At one point, Forge said, “I don’t think I wanna do this… That’s how worthless it became.”

A Revival for the Band—and Maybe for Others Too

For Ghost, crowd engagement is essential. Without it, Forge said, “It’s dramatically worse. But when you have an engaged crowd… it’s an exchange.” A phone coming out mid-performance disrupts that energy, he added.

Calling the new no-phone policy “a fucking life-changer for the existence of the band,” Forge believes other artists are now watching closely. “I think that there are a lot of bands that are looking at this and [thinking], ‘Okay, so how do we do that too?’”