Ten years after the Paris terror attacks that killed 130 people, including 90 attendees of an Eagles of Death Metal show at the Bataclan music hall, the group’s frontman Jesse Hughes is back in the French capital to pay tribute.
Hughes is due to attend Thursday’s main commemoration ceremony at a newly created memorial garden near Paris City Hall, Rolling Stone has learned. He was onstage, performing with the California-based band, on Nov. 13, 2015, when three Islamic State extremists burst through the doors mid-show and carried out a horrific massacre with high-powered assault rifles and explosive belts.
“What happened 10 years ago was perhaps the worst thing that ever happened in my life. I lost faith in almost everything, I lost my confidence, I lost my sanity,” Hughes says in a statement shared with Rolling Stone. “Through the help of U2, our fans, and most importantly the strength of the people of France, I have slowly rebuilt my reality.”
Hughes, 53, says the return has become a somber tradition for him. “I have come back to France nearly every anniversary to share a camaraderie with my fellow survivors that cannot be described. This being the 10-year anniversary, my emotions are all over the place,” he says. “The greatest honor I will ever have is to be here in Paris right now with all the warriors from the Bataclan to show the world that the bad guys did not win.”
Dignitaries, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, are due to attend the memorial garden ceremony along with survivors and relatives of the victims.
“The nation will gather to honor the memory of those who lost their lives, show its unwavering support for their loved ones, express its gratitude to all those who intervened [that night], and reaffirm its ongoing commitment to the fight against terrorism,” Macron’s office said in a statement, according to the Associated Press.
Hughes and EODM previously played a surprise set to honor victims and survivors on the second anniversary of the coordinated terror attacks that left 130 people dead at several locations around the French capital. During the 2017 tribute, they performed a solemn cover of Duran Duran’s “Save a Prayer” and their 2015 song, “I Love You All The Time.”
One year earlier, in 2016, Hughes faced backlash when, in interviews with Fox News and Taki’s Magazine, he suggested Muslim security guards at the Bataclan were part of the coordinated attack. He issued an apology after the Fox News interview.
