Ghost unveiled their cover of Genesis' 1992 track "Jesus He Knows Me" on Easter Sunday, which I'm sure any church-going person was thrilled about. "Jesus He Knows Me" lyrically deals with televangelism and the idea of religious grifting, a topic that's still exactly as relevant 31 years later.
Ghost mastermind Tobias Forge explained in an interview with The Music that he feels the original went from relevant, to dated, back to relevant once again in recent times. Forge also compared the song and its concept to the tides of religious fanaticism in America, saying a resurgeance has certainly been noticeable lately.
"It's frighteningly horrible. It's easy not to laugh about the accuracy in which [Genesis lyricist, drummer, and vocalist] Phil Collins wrote a lyric that ten years ago felt almost dated, even outdated, which now feels so contemporary and important."
"When we started touring America, I was asked so many times, 'Do you have a problem with the Christian fundamentalists or picket fencers or any of that stuff?' I was like, 'No, never.' Like, there seems to be a sort of undercurrent of that stuff over there. I didn't see that, we were all over the place, even in the South, and definitely a lot in the heartland.
"My impression of those cities is just wonderful, a lot of nice people who come to rock shows, and they're super friendly, and everything is just fucking dandy. And then, obviously, the last five or six years, the people are still the same, I still feel that they're in the same climate. But obviously, parallel to that, there is this complete Flat Earth cult that has just decided to throw in the towel. I don't know what their aim is."
Pre-orders for Phantomime are available here before its May 18 release. Ghost will also hit the road with Amon Amarth in North America this August. Get those dates below, and get tickets here.
8/2 – Concord, CA – Concord Pavilion
8/4 – Auburn, WA – White River Amphitheatre
8/5 – Airway Heights, WA – BECU Live at Northern Quest
8/7 – West Valley City, UT – USANA Amphitheatre
8/8 – Denver, CO – Fiddler’s Green Amphitheatre
8/11 – St. Louis, MO – Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
8/12 – Milwaukee, WI – American Family Insurance Amphitheater
8/14– Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
8/15 – Chicago, IL – Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
8/16 – Cincinnati, OH – PNC Pavilion at Riverbend Music Center
8/18 – Syracuse, NY – St. Joseph's Health Amphitheater at Lakeview
8/19 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
8/20 – Bridgeport, CT – Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater
8/22 – Indianapolis, IN – TCU Amphitheater at White River State Park
8/23 – Burgettstown, PA – The Pavilion at Star Lake
8/24 – Bristow, VA – Jiffy Lube Live
8/25 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
8/27 – Nashville, TN – Ascend Amphitheater
8/29 – Simpsonville, SC – CCNB Amphitheatre at Heritage Park
8/30 – Jacksonville, FL – Daily’s Place
8/31 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
9/2 – The Woodlands, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion presented by Huntsman
9/3 – Austin, TX – Germania Insurance Amphitheater
9/5 – Irving, TX – The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
9/7 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater
9/8 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort Amphitheatre
9/11 – Los Angeles, CA – Kia Forum (no Amon Amarth)
9/12 – Los Angeles, CA – Kia Forum (no Amon Amarth)
