{"id":260334,"date":"2026-01-27T16:35:11","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T16:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/260334\/"},"modified":"2026-01-27T16:35:11","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T16:35:11","slug":"ghosts-tobias-forge-likens-performing-in-his-old-masks-to-running-100-metres-in-flip-flops","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/260334\/","title":{"rendered":"Ghost\u2019s Tobias Forge likens performing in his old masks to \u201crunning 100 metres in flip-flops\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Ghost<\/a> frontman Tobias Forge has reflected on the problems that his old masks gave him onstage, likening performing in them to \u201crunning 100 metres in flip-flops\u201d.<\/p>\n

In a new interview with Global News, the singer\/multi-instrumentalist is asked about the half-face mask that he\u2019s been using since adopting his \u2018Papa V Perpetua\u2019 persona last year for the Skelet\u00e1<\/a> album cycle.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

He says that he enjoys the new freedom that the mask gives him, as opposed to the restriction he felt when he wore full-face masks for Ghost\u2019s tours from 2010 through to the early 2020s<\/p>\n

\u201cOver the years of wearing various silicon mask on my face, I\u2019ve often felt as if I were being asked to do something semi-professionally athletic while wearing flip-flops,\u201d he answers. \u201c\u2018Here, run 100m on time in flip-flops. Here, play football or ice hockey in flip-flops.\u2019 It\u2019s like, I am not a great singer who can play or sing in any band, but I know I\u2019m definitely a better singer than the mask allowed me to be.\u201d<\/p>\n

Forge adds that singing onstage is a full-body exercise, where the singer needs to be able to \u201cmake faces\u201d and \u201cwork with your neck and throat\u201d: things he couldn\u2019t do when he had a full mask. \u201cMentally, it was a little bit of a shift: a big step for me,\u201d he summarises.<\/p>\n

Forge has previously spoken about the difficulties he had with full-face masks, telling Metal Hammer last year<\/a> that he suffered a panic attack onstage in 2015 because he felt claustrophobic in what he was wearing.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was told there was only one entrance into the venue; you had to walk in on the right side of the stage, past the stage, and then into a backstage area,\u201d he remembered. \u201cSo, essentially, you couldn\u2019t get out. You were locked in. That was what I was told. And I didn\u2019t think of it until during the show, when all of a sudden I was like, \u2018I need to know where the door is\u2026 I can\u2019t get to the door. Stop! Stop! Get the mask off!\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Sign up below to get the latest from Metal Hammer, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox!<\/p>\n

Forge has since said that he hopes to start scuba diving to come to terms with his claustrophobia<\/a>. \u201cI\u2019ve always been very \u2018maritime\u2019 and drawn to the ocean. In my alternative life, I\u2019m a wreck diver!\u201d he said last year.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere in the Global News interview, Forge talks about the production for the ongoing Skeletour world tour, saying it has more in common with a Lady Gaga show than \u201cmany other rock bands\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that we\u2019re in a good place right now with the production,\u201d he says. \u201cWhat the Skeletour ended up being in terms of production value is very near, conceptually, what I\u2019ve had in my mind for quite a long time, with respect to how I wanted the show to evolve through different stages or acts, if you will.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ghost had to cancel the first three shows of the 2026 Skeletour North American leg last week due to a major winter storm. However, the remainder of the tour is scheduled to proceed as planned, kicking off at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut on Wednesday (January 28). See all dates and get tickets via the Ghost website<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ghost\u2019s Tobias Forge talks Skelet\u00e1, long-term goals for band, reveals if a new EP is coming – YouTube
\n\"Ghost\u2019s<\/p>\n

Watch On <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Ghost frontman Tobias Forge has reflected on the problems that his old masks gave him onstage, likening performing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":260335,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[146,85,46,409],"class_list":{"0":"post-260334","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-entertainment","9":"tag-il","10":"tag-israel","11":"tag-music"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260334","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=260334"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260334\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/260335"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=260334"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=260334"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=260334"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}