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copias-thrall · 5 years

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Give or take 18mos ago, my bestie @copias-cape sent me a Ghost video. She thought I'd be into them. (She wasn't wrong.) Not too long after that, I saw that they'd be playing in my city and I hemmed and hawed about buying a ticket. I mean: I'd just heard of them! Surely others—real fans—would be more deserving of the ticket (plus I was soon to be unemployed and surely my $$ was best spent on my mortgage). Eventually, I was convinced TO GO—way close to the actual date, and so I got a really shitty seat.

To be fair, I attended my first Ritual in an actual theater—not a show venue—so there was no floor space, no dancing; and I was way in the back. I had been told that Ritual was Life Altering, and—while I had fun—I was pretty meh about it.

I'm going to wildly digress here and tell you all about a time I went to see Billy Joel. See, I grew up listening to Billy Joel, and—as a piano player—his songs played an important part of my formative years. I've seen him 3x. One of those was right out of college and a birthday gift from a former bff. It started off as a disaster—she thought she got ok tickets, but she misread the seating chart and actually got us nosebleed seats 1 row from the ceiling and behind the stage. It wasn't ideal, but I was just happy for the thought and, I mean, it's a music show. If we can hear it, that's good enough.

We struck up a conversation with the middle-aged couple behind us and their disaffected daughter + guest. The teens were not enthused in the slightest and kept going and coming back to their seats. Suddenly! They come back! Why? What's up? Well, apparently, Joel's roadie's go to the nosebleed seats and give FRONT ROW tickets to unfortunate people (read: cute girls) in the nosebleed seats. And the roadies were keen on getting these 2 nubile, young girls up front. Being 16 however, required parental permission. Permission they did. Not. Get. My bestie and I sat there feeling pity for these 2 girls who were being denied something amazing as the parents said, "This is something you do in your 20s, not when you're 16."

At which point a light went off, they turned to us, and said, "Hey: you girls wouldn't like these front row tickets would you?" We did. We really did. We kept solemnly quiet as these 2 teens beat their chests and rent their garments begging her parents not to be so cruel. But the couple would not budge. Reluctantly, the teens took us down to the roadie and introduced us as their replacements. The roadie gave my friend and me a blatant, scrutinizing once over, before shrugging his shoulders, nodding, and telling us to follow him. We did not look back on what would become a defining moment in 2 teens lives on how Not Fair life was.

We, however, were taken not only to the floor, not to the first row, but to a set of folding chairs between the stage and first row. We were instructed to be enthusiastic—to dance—bc this was being taped. And you know what? It was a blast! It was a rock show! We could see the pores on his face. An overall 15/10 experience.

So seeing Ghost from the theater back? Meh.

Upon hearing of my ambivalence to my 1st Ritual, @copias-cape insisted that next tour, we would go together. She would show me how to Ritual correctly. Little did we know how soon—not even a year!—that would be. When Ghost announced their next tour dates, we scrutinized the poster, trying to figure out where all the landmarks would be.

When dates were announced we agonized over who would go were and when. Locations and venues were bandied about. A location had been settled on, only to change due to class and work conflicts. Bus tickets were exchanged. Days were taken off. This wasn't going to be a Ritual, this was going to be a Weekend.

It had been 7mos since I last saw her shining face, but finally the Ritual Weekend was here, we were together, and we became a chaotic force to be reckoned with. We became those 2 girls you hate at a party. The whole trip just gelled together and the next thing we know, there we are in line waiting to meet the Rat Daddy himself. Special guest star appearance by @moonlightbewitched who somehow randomly was right behind us in line. (Apologies if I seemed distant, but I was nervous AF.) We met some other awesome ppl—while we waited in line for 3.5hrs—who I regret not exchanging info with, but: Rat Daddy.

I already have my meet & greet post, but I will add here how woefully unprepared I was. I was nervous, sure—but in the way one is nervous about meeting their fav. I had this mistaken impression that it'd basically be a point & click situation. They've been touring for nearly 2yrs. He's done hundreds of photo ops. Sure: he's a rockstar, but he's also just a man. Probably an exhausted, tired man. I wasn't expecting to be seduced and manhandled by buttery gloves. Whoever that girl was in the bathroom trying to eavesdrop on our post-op conversation I'm either sorry we were such hot messes or you're welcome you got a scoop on the sheer presence of the Rat Daddy.

ANYWAY, the point is: Ritual #2. Riding high off the feel of Copia's leathered fingers on our skin and the inordinate kindness of strangers letting us maneuver our way up front, we had a transcendent Ritual. We were so close! HIS THIGHS WERE RIGHT THERE! The music reverberated through our very cores and had us at times clutching at each other in stunned rapture.

This. THIS is how Ritual should always and ever be.

One weekend. Two women. A helluva performance by Rat Daddy + the Ghouls.

In the upcoming days I will be posting my various forms of footage, but I felt remiss in not including the sheer magnetism of my friend and cohort, who has been nothing but patient and supportive of my gradual easement into the Rabbit Hole of this fandom. And I thank her for encouraging me to experience Ritual the right way.

You are correct.

It's life-changing. It's transcendent.

Sign me up.

#situation ritual #thebandghost #copias cape #cute AF

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