Queens of the Stone Age have announced a new concert film recorded live in the legendary Catacombs of Paris.
Dubbed Queens of the Stone Age: Alive in the Catacombs, the film captures the band performing a set of stripped back songs in the famed ossuary beneath Paris’ streets, weaving their sound together with the haunting silence of the tunnels. It was filmed in July 2024, and will become available to rent or purchase on the band’s website beginning June 5th.
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The concert was something frontman Josh Homme has had in mind for nearly two decades, and marked the very first time a band had received legal sanction from the city of Paris to perform in the Catacombs, among the 6 million corpses resting there. In a press statement, Homme joked it was “the biggest audience we’ve ever played for.”
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Continuing, Homme said, “If you’re ever going to be haunted, surrounded by several million dead people is the place. I’ve never felt so welcome in my life.”
Musically, the performance saw the band strip back their sound to acoustic basics (in part due to the lack of electrical outlets), augmented by a three-piece string section. Throughout, additional elements — like using chains and chopsticks as percussion, or the fact that there are no overdubs or edits — add to the character of the performance, inviting the setting itself to be an active player in QOTSA’s vision.
Indeed, Hélène Furminieux of Les Catacombes de Paris said, “The Catacombs of Paris are a fertile ground for the imagination… Going underground and confronting reflections on death can be a deeply intense experience. [Homme] seems to have felt in his body and soul the full potential of this place. The recordings resonate perfectly with the mystery, history, and a certain introspection, notably perceptible in the subtle use of the silence within the Catacombs.”
In his own words, Homme said, “We’re so stripped down because that place is so stripped down, which makes the music so stripped down, which makes the words so stripped down… It would be ridiculous to try to rock there. All those decisions were made by that space. That space dictates everything, it’s in charge. You do what you’re told when you’re in there.”
Pre-orders for the Queens of the Stone Age: Alive in the Catacombs concert film are ongoing, and fans who purchase prior to June 7th will receive exclusive access to behind the scenes footage. The performance will be made available in audio-only formats as well, with details expected to be announced “in the coming weeks.” Watch the trailer for the film below.
Meanwhile, QOTSA will hit the road next month for their US tour dates with The Kills, marking their first major outing since the band was forced to postpone and cancel a number of shows so that Homme could receive “essential medical care.” Get tickets here.
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