Watch Ghost Give A Ridiculously Theatrical Kimmel Performance Inside A California Mausoleum
We don’t really get enough evil popes or bug-masked alien musicians on late-night TV, or at least we didn’t until last night. Last week, the theatrical, over-the-top Swedish metal cult heroes Ghost released their new album Impera. Last night, the band served as musical guests on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Even though Ghost were in California to record their performance, they didn’t play in the Kimmel studio. Maybe the ambience wasn’t right. Maybe they needed to be with the dead.
As Kimmel says at the beginning of the performance, Ghost recorded their Kimmel appearance at Mountain View Mausoleum, a historic edifice in the LA suburb of Altadena. With dry ice all around them and stained-glass windows lit up behind them, Ghost looked right at home. They played the sweeping Impera single “Call Me Little Sunshine.” Frontman Papa Emeritus rocked his usual dark-pope getup. Everyone else in the band wore matching outfits — tight black suits with sort of old-timey deep-sea diver steampunk bubble-helmets. I’m not really up on the whole Ghost mythology, so I don’t know if these are specific characters, but you have to admire the commitment the the bit. Even the backup singer had one of those big helmets on. Shit looked crazy. Watch it below.
Impera is out now on Loma Vista.