RITE HERE RIGHT NOW – The Concert Film From Ghost!

RITE HERE RIGHT NOW is directed by Tobias Forge and Alex Ross Perry.

RITE HERE RIGHT NOW is a concert film featuring the band Ghost, performing to an enthusiastic crowd at the Kia Forum. Papa Emeritus IV (Tobias Forge) and his Nameless Ghouls perform old and new cuts from the Ghost catalogue alike with plenty of on-stage theatrics and lengthy instrumental suites. Backstage, Emeritus is faced with his mother and the spirit of his deceased father, experiencing turmoil knowing that he may be replaced with the next frontman to join the band, and that his time may be at an end. Will his encore be his final one as frontman of the band, or will his reign as the frontman continue?

Ghost is certainly a band that has grown on me in recent years; their own breed of melodic rock continues to garner a growing worldwide fanbase. Even out here in Vegas, we’ve got an awesome Ghost tribute band that I’m following quite closely now. While I’ve got a lot of catching up to do when it comes to the band’s back catalogue, I was certainly enthused to check out the band’s new concert film, RITE HERE RIGHT NOW, which was shown in theaters for one week only, and has already broken several records and packed movie houses across the United States. The film is beautifully shot; the on-stage production values are the best in the business, although the “story” element admittedly isn’t as developed or interesting as it could be.

I should also clarify that, while the theaters across the country were packed over the weekend this film opened, it was less busy on a Tuesday night. It was just myself and one other older gentleman in the theater at Sam’s Town this night, though I’m not exactly complaining there. Less crowd distractions and more room to stretch is always a good thing.

As far as the actual music performances go, RITE HERE RIGHT NOW delivers. Tobias Forge/Papa Emeritus IV/whatever other name he’s using is a great frontman, charismatic and commanding a packed house. This is the guy who always commands the crowd, and he’s excellently backed up by the onslaught of Nameless Ghoul musicians. There are the obligatory costume changes, female backup dancers in skeleton costumes, and plenty of production values in addition to the great tunes spanning the band’s career so far. I’m admittedly not knowledgeable enough to say if there are any key tracks missing from the setlist, but I heard plenty of hits and fairly deep cuts alike, and was quite impressed. Naturally, the biggest hits are saved for near the end of the show/the encores, which is no surprise.

There’s a story in there too. We see many scenes of Tobias/Papa going backstage to change costumes, but also to deal with encounters with his mother and deceased father, telling him that his days as the frontman of Ghost may be coming to an end (Tobias Forge has portrayed several different “characters” who front the band). These segments veer from the dramatic to the comedic, but at times they feel like an afterthought. One of the best moments, in my opinion, was an animated music video accompanying one song to show the backstory of the previous Papa. Ghost has an entire fictional backstory, and having not been familiar with it, I admittedly felt a bit lost in places, though. There is a post-credits scene, though this left me with more questions than answers, which was likely deliberate on the part of Forge and the Ghost camp. The other gentleman in the theater with me mentioned that one issue he had was the storyline interludes interrupting the instrumental portions of the show, which are his favorite parts. I can agree with this to a point.

Although the story elements are a bit underdeveloped and may somewhat confuse the most casual of fans, overall I had a great time at RITE HERE RIGHT NOW, and I have a feeling this is destined to be something of a concert classic for years to come. Fans of the group shouldn’t be disappointed with what Mr. Forge delivers on and off the stage here. Highly recommended!