Eagles of Death Metal Dropped From French Festivals Because of Bataclan Comments
The already delicate relationship between Eagles of Death Metal and concert promoters in France just became a lot more complicated.
According to the Associated Press, two French music festivals, the Rock en Seine in Paris and Cabaret Vert in northern France, have dropped the band from their lineups in response to controversial allegations frontman Jesse Hughes made last week in an interview with Taki's Magazine. Hughes said he saw "terrorists" in the Bataclan before the Nov. 13 show where 89 people were killed on Nov. 13 and claimed he saw "Muslims celebrating in the street during the attack."
But the story actually goes back to Hughes' interview with Fox Business Network in March, when Hughes suggested that members of the Bataclan security staff didn't show up the day of the tragedy because they had advance knowledge of the terrorist attack. He later apologized and called his comments "absurd and baseless."
But Hughes again made similar statements in last week's interview:
I know for sure that (the terrorists) were in there early. I remember them staring at my buddy. I just chalked it up to Arab envy. You know what I mean? When a Muslim sees a cocky American dude with tattoos, he stares at him. I realized later it was Abdeslam and he was staring at my buddy because they thought he was a threat. There’s no denying the terrorists were already inside, and they had to get in somehow. During the shooting I went outside and the backstage door was propped open. How did that happen?
Representatives for both festivals released a joint statement on Friday and said they won't host Eagles of Death Metal:
Being in total disagreement with Jesse Hugues’ recent allegations given in an interview with an american media, both Cabaret Vert & Rock en Seine festivals have decided to cancel the band’s performance. We thank you for your understanding.
Meanwhile, La Bataclan is set to reopen almost exactly one year after it was forced to shut down. Libertines frontman Pete Doherty will play the first show on Nov. 16.