Watch U2 Welcome Eagles of Death Metal Onstage in Paris
Less than a month after terrorists attacked their concert in Paris, Eagles of Death Metal got back onstage in the French capital at U2‘s show. “They were robbed of their stage three weeks ago, so we’d like to offer them ours tonight,” Bono told the crowd, according to U2Start. The band played a cover of Patti Smith’s “People Have the Power,” U2‘s signature intro music, side-by-side with the headliners, before the Irish rockers left the stage so Eagles of Death Metal could play their own “I Love You All the Time.”
Last week, Eagles of Death Metal asked their friends in other bands to perform covers of “I Love You All the Time,” which appears on their 2015 LP Zipper Down, and donate all proceeds to the victims of the attack that left 89 people dead. My Morning Jacket, the Dean Ween Group and Savages have all so far covered the tune.
“The senseless and violent terrorist attacks of November 13th, 2015 in Paris have left us all unsettled and we dare not give another second of precious time to those who have tried to steal our freedoms and take away our power,” the group’s drummer, Josh Homme, wrote in an open letter to his friends. “Instead, we are writing to ask for your help to ‘Play It Forward.'”
U2’s concert at AccorHotels Arena marks the end of their Innocence + Experience 2015 world tour. The group was previously supposed to perform at the arena on November 14th and 15th, days after the attack, but postponed the gig. They welcomed Patti Smith onstage Sunday night to sing “People Have the Power.” Prior to that gig, Rolling Stone reported that an announcer informed the crowd that the soundtrack for the concert contained explosions “and are nothing to be concerned about.”
HBO will air a concert film of U2 performing in Paris tonight at 9 p.m. EST.
“So much that was taken from Paris on the tragic night of November 13th is irreplaceable,” Bono said previously about the attack. “For one night, the killers took lives, took music, took peace of mind – but they couldn’t steal the spirit of that city.”