Ghost Frontman Tobias Forge Reveals the Terrifying Health Crisis That Nearly Destroyed a Major Concert — “I Couldn’t Stand Up”
The Ghost frontman was days away from filming a major concert documentary when a brutal bout of food poisoning left him collapsing backstage and forced the band to cancel the show.
Tobias Forge has opened up about the frightening health crisis that nearly derailed one of Ghost’s biggest performances — and left the singer lying on a stretcher receiving intravenous fluids just hours before he was due to take the stage.
The 45-year-old frontman was in Mexico City last September for Ghost’s three-night run at the Palacio de los Deportes, with the first performance carrying even more pressure because it was scheduled to be filmed for the band’s upcoming concert documentary, 2 Big To Rig.
Forge had arrived in the city five days early in an attempt to adjust to the altitude and recover from jet lag. But on the day of the opening concert, something went seriously wrong.
What began as exhaustion quickly turned into a medical emergency.
Forge recalled that he slept through the entire hour-long journey to the venue and soon found himself unable to keep any food down. As the hours passed, his condition deteriorated rapidly.
“For every hour that went by I was getting more and more drained,” Forge recalled.
Then the vomiting became violent.
“Everything, just, ‘Out, out, out!’” he said, describing the moment everyone around him began to panic.
The situation was particularly devastating because there was far more riding on the performance than a normal concert. Thousands of fans were already gathering, while cameras were prepared to capture the show for Ghost’s upcoming film.
But with just two hours remaining before showtime, Forge knew there was no way he could perform.
He was dizzy, exhausted and unable to stand.
“Even if you get me up onstage, I will not be able to sing,” he explained.
The decision was eventually made to cancel the performance — something Forge admitted he hates doing, particularly when fans have already travelled to see the band.
The rest of the evening was spent in a dramatically different setting from the one he had expected.
“I was just lying on a stretcher with intravenous liquid going in,” Forge revealed.
The cancellation also created a major problem for 2 Big To Rig, as the original plan had been to film that opening Mexico City concert.
Fortunately, Ghost’s remaining two performances went ahead.
Forge returned to the stage the following night, even joking about his mysterious illness and referring to it as the “curse of Montezuma.”
The band and director Amir Chamdin were then forced to rethink their filming strategy, using footage from the remaining Mexico City shows instead.
Forge admitted that the change created additional pressure.
“Obviously, it goes without saying: ‘We better not fuck up now!’” he joked.
The experience could easily have ended the filming plans altogether, but Forge said Chamdin remained calm throughout the crisis and reassured him that they would find a solution.
And they did.
The resulting documentary, 2 Big To Rig, will give fans a behind-the-scenes look at Ghost’s elaborate live production when it arrives in cinemas and IMAX screens around the world on August 26.
Unlike the band’s previous film, Rite Here Rite Now, the new project focuses more heavily on the enormous effort behind Ghost’s live performances.
But while fans are preparing to see Forge back in his theatrical element on the big screen, the singer is currently taking a very different approach to his life.
Ghost are on hiatus, with Forge choosing to spend more time at home with his family and find inspiration for whatever comes next.
After years of touring, he has acknowledged that his priorities have changed.
His children are now teenagers, and he has admitted that he feels the need to be present while he still can.
For Ghost fans, the Mexico City incident offers a striking reminder of just how much can happen behind the scenes before the lights go down and the music begins.
What was supposed to be a major filmed performance instead became a night of hospital treatment, uncertainty and a desperate attempt to recover in time for the next show.
And somehow, Ghost still managed to turn the disaster into part of the story.