The Ghost Inside “Locals Only”
Altar Bar
Pittsburgh, PA
November 6, 2015
Los Angeles-based melodic hardcore band The Ghost Inside dropped their latest album, ‘Dear Youth,’ last year on Epitaph Records. After relentlessly touring to support the new record, the band decided to mix things up this time around by announcing the “Locals Only” Tour. Rather than compiling an all-star lineup to guarantee packed venues and steady income, The Ghost Inside took the risk to allow each city to supply their own local opening acts as an ode to the scenes that have supported the band over the years. On November 6, 2015, the tour stopped in Pittsburgh, PA and I has the opportunity to attend.
I love hardcore. I grew up on bands like Shutdown, Snapcase and Ensign, so I’m kind of tough on newer hardcore bands, like all old guys should be. I’m not alone. After all, the hardcore scene did take a turn for the worse somewhere around 2009, prompting even die hard, living legend Toby Morse to ask, “What Happened to the Passion?” Unlike other bands of hardcore modern-era, The Ghost Inside definitely has the passion.
The band hit the stage swinging with “Move Me”, and the crowd erupted into stage dives as if it were rehearsed. There were no frills, no light shows, and no security up front – typical unfortunate findings in hardcore modern-era. The fans of the band were amazingly loyal, seemingly knowing all of the lyrics to even early records, something I sheepishly admit was not the case for me. The sincerity was truly inspiring.
The Ghost Inside blasted through tracks like “The Great Unknown” and “Sacrifice” with little to no front-man commentator interruption. Unbeknownst to me, this LA hardcore outfit had significant ties to Pittsburgh, even mentioning they recently filmed a video at Altar Bar. The connection was obvious, as the energy from the crowd and band alike never wavered throughout the entire set.
The sincerity paid off, as the band extended their set three extra songs. Not a planned, Axl Rose-esque encore, a sincere ‘thank you’ to the crowd (I’m holding the set list as I write this.) The Ghost Inside ended their set with the incredible sing-along “Engine 45”, and literally half of the crowd joined the band on stage to close out the set. This was a hardcore show, and I left inspired. Good on you, The Ghost Inside. Thank you.
