Eagles of Death Metal Triumphantly Return to Paris to Perform With U2

Barely more than three weeks after their show at Paris’s Bataclan concert hall ended in tragedy on Nov. 13, California garage-rockers Eagles of Death Metal made an emotional return to Paris this Monday, Dec. 7. The band joined U2, whose own Nov. 13 concert at Paris’s Accorhotels Arena was postponed after the Bataclan terrorist attack, during the encore of U2’s Paris concert special, which will air tonight at 9 p.m. ET on HBO.

“They were robbed of their stage three weeks ago, and we would like to offer them ours tonight,” U2 singer Bono declared, as he welcomed the group to the Accorhotels Arena during the encore of U2’s rescheduled show. This marked the first time that EoDM were back in France since 89 people, including their merchandising manager, Nick Alexander, and three employees from their record label, were killed at the Bataclan.

“I love you so hard, you have no idea!” triumphant EoDM frontman Jesse Hughes cried out to the audience during his performance.

Hughes led the crowd in a vivacious singalong of Patti Smith’s “People Have the Power” (Smith had performed with U2 in Paris on Sunday evening), followed by their own song, “I Love You All the Time.” EoDM have recently asked musicians to cover the latter tune, pledging to donate all of their publishing income to the Sweet Stuff Foundation, an organization helmed by EoDM founder and Queens of the Stone Age leader Josh Homme, which is aiding victims of the Paris attacks.

During a recent Vice interview – the group’s first and so far only official post-Bataclan interview – Hughes had said he wanted EoDM “to be the first band to play at the Bataclan when it opens back up. Our friends went there to see rock ‘n’ roll and died. I want to go back there and live… Music is what we do, it’s our lives, and there’s no way we’re not going to keep doing it.”