Not Just Another Night In Saginaw: An Epic Ghost Performance

Sep 19

Written By Lauren Jewell/Roaming Roach Photography

Going out on a Monday night is a bit out of the norm for me. In fact, I barely leave my house at all. But when there was an opportunity to see Spiritbox, Mastodon, and Ghost, I grabbed my keys and headed out the door.

I had never been to the Dow Event Center before, but there was this one time I worked in Saginaw so it was nice to see another area of it that wasn’t a stripmall. From eavesdropping I heard that people had been lining up since at least 3pm on Monday and that the main parking lot across the street filled up very quickly.

The show itself started mostly on time with a minor set back or two due to the amount of concert goers there were - but the security staff and everyone there was nice. I don’t think I heard any yelling or grumpiness while waiting with the other photographers before we were escorted into the pit. To pass the time I counted the number of people with skeleton makeup on and lost count after 50.

Spiritbox:
[lead singer] Courtney LaPlante is dreamy. There. I said it. I fell in love at first sound. I regret not listening to this group before Monday evening, but I found myself going down the rabbit hole today in between work meetings. Was also able to pick up a cool beanie to wear now that Michigan is finally getting with the Autumn program. [go away, Summer]

Mastodon:
I do wish I was better with words, but alas here we are. Founded in 1999, Mastodon has put out over 10 albums throughout the years. It was a treat to see them live and there was much kicking happening. There were a few times where I found myself getting distracted by their background - it reminded me of a lava lamp and much like Steve Carrell’s character in Anchorman and Mothman, I love lamp.

Ghost:
Speaking of falling in love, I would like to take a moment to appreciate the aesthetic of Ghost and all of the things. The detailing, the stitching, the RHINESTONES? The amount of giddiness from that alone last night was all I needed. I’d also like to shout out their stage hands who were running around and making sure the grand reveal worked properly. They were a great team!
And now about the music -
Don’t forgive me father for I have sinned and will continue to do so.
Ghost was glorious and everything I dreamed it would be and then some. Earlier in the day I was hanging out with my sister who lives in the area and I was trying to describe Ghost to her and I just couldn’t get the words right [again]. It was… like going to church. But a church I’d actually attend. Like, daily - if that was an option. I couldn’t hear much of a difference between a recording and the live performance - Tobias Forge is just that good.
And then there are the Nameless Ghouls. I could not tell you who was who, but later in the set one of them had a tambourine and watching them move around and playing it was absolutely mesmerizing.

Anyways! It was not just another night in Saginaw - it was a magical Monday.

Ghost