The anniversary of the Paris terrorist attacks is bringing a variety of responses from both the political and music worlds. Despite a concert featuring Sting to raise spirits, many are pointing to Paris and France as uneasy in the face of a terrorist threat. And now reports are surfacing that all isn’t right at the Bataclan performance either.
Reports are circulating that members of Eagles of Death Metal, the band on the stage at the time of the horrifying attacks , were barred from entering the concert reopening the Bataclan featuring Sting. AFP reports that Bataclan co-director Jules Frutos made the decision to throw the members due to comments frontman Jesse Hughes made following the attacks:
“They came, I threw them out — there are things you can’t forgive…”
Eagles frontman Jesse Hughes — one of the two band members denied entry to the Sting concert — caused dismay in France earlier this year by suggesting Muslim staff at the Bataclan were involved in the gun and suicide bomb attack there on November 13, 2015.
Before the concert Frutos said that he was sick of listening to Hughes’ conspiracy theories.
“He makes these incredibly false declarations every two months. It is madness, accusing our security of being complicit with the terrorists… Enough. Zero. This has to stop,” he added.
AFP also adds that Hughes made comments claiming that Muslims were celebrating outside the venue during the attacks, something that caused many festivals and venues in France to withdraw offers for the band to play.
The band’s management denies the reports that they were kicked out of the concert, with Marc Pollack telling Billboard that the band never even tried to enter the venue for Sting’s performance:
“This day is not about Jesse Hughes or Eagles of Death Metal. In fact, Jesse is in Paris to share in remembering the tragic events of a year ago with his friends, family and fans. This is about recalling the tragic loss of life that happened right in front of his eyes during his show, and this coward Jules Frutos feels the need to soil his own club’s reopening by spreading false tales to the press, and tainting a wonderful opportunity that could’ve been used to spread peace and love, to further spread mean spirited words of hate. Jesse never even tried entering the club for Sting’s show tonight.”
Billboard reports that the events of the evening are certainly in question, but that the security of the event would’ve prevented anybody from entering. Hughes is in Paris on the invite of Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and will attend a plaque dedication ceremony with the mayor and French President Francois Hollande on November 13th outside of the venue. According to sources at Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter’s Paris correspondent, the singer was in the area:
Hughes was fully aware and had no intention of attending. But he did, in fact, stop by to take in the scene, talk to gathered fans and reflect on the events of Nov. 13, 2015.
If anything is clear, emotions are still high on the one year anniversary of the deadly attacks. Hughes comments are definitely a sore spot, but shouldn’t be enough to cast a cloud over an event that’s meant to heal.
(Via Billboard / The Hollywood Reporter / AFP)
