Lenny Kravitz Warns That The Paris Bataclan Attack ‘Could Happen Anywhere’

lenny-kravitz-paris-attacks
Getty Image

Lenny Kravitz is an artist who has been performing the world over for the better part of 30 years, and he also happens to reside in Paris. The awful attacks at Le Bataclan and the city at large hold a strange duel meaning for the rocker as both a musician and a French resident. With this in mind, he decided to write his feelings in an essay published by Rolling Stone. In it, he described his incredible intimacy with the historic venue and how frightening the attack was to him.

He described the situation unfolding to him via text prior to any news coverage — he was in the Bahamas at the time — and what he saw is pretty raw. The rocker described a scene where a friend who worked on his last tour was injured in Bataclan and had to pretend she was dead while her partner was killed in the very same room. He also described the guilt of another friend who couldn’t go to the show and gave their tickets away to strangers who ended up dying.

Perhaps at his most personal and poignant, Kravitz talks about the fear he now harbors about performing:

“It hit a chord with me and I’m deeply concerned. I think at this point, It could happen anywhere. I live my life onstage and in venues and these things can happen. And they’re being chosen as targets.

I’m not worried about returning to Paris. I was in New York for 9/11. Things bounced back. But in general, I think life is changing. You’ll definitely think about it when you’re sitting in a café or in a restaurant. Obviously, we’re talking about France and these people, but at the same time, these things are going on all over, in Lebanon, Syria, Africa. I’m concerned about this on every level for everybody. It’s not just ‘pray for Paris’ — it’s ‘pray for the world.'”

As someone who has performed at that very club many times, Kravitz’s words have a bit more gravity than your average troubadour, but hopefully this heightened sense of awareness is also accompanied with courage, as well. And honestly, we’re starting to see that with acts like Heems and Wavves playing in the City of Light already. Paris, Lebanon, Syria, all of these place will rebuild, and they all deserve somewhere to get together and grab a bite or hear a couple tunes if they see fit.

(via Rolling Stone)

×