Eagles of Death Metal and four other acts that were rocked by tragedy

On Nov. 13, 2015, 89 concertgoers were ambushed and killed at a concert hall amid a series of coordinated terror attacks in Paris.

It was a night that forever changed the lives of music fans across the world. Eagles of Death Metal, a hard rock band from California, was onstage at the Bataclan, when three terrorists entered the concert venue and opened fire on the crowd, killing not only fans but a member of the band’s crew.

Less than two weeks after the tragedy, members of the band and soundman Shawn London sat down with Shane Smith of Vice for an interview. In harrowing detail, they recalled the events of that night. The 26-minute clip is hard to watch, particularly when London describes the scene moments before the shooting started.

“These kids were having a blast. They were having a great time. I mean, the smiles and the dancing and the singing along with each song. It was such … you know, it’s heartfelt. And then, out of nowhere, I just heard these … what I thought were firecrackers directly behind me … . They came in the door, instantly, walked in, and just started blasting. There was two of them.

“Instantly people started dropping to the ground. There was nowhere to go. So they basically ran into me, towards me, and jumped down below my console. I was still standing up, and I can see the gunman, and he looked right at me. And he shot at me and he missed, and he hit my console.”

Frontman Jesse Hughes — who came face to face with one of the gunmen backstage before escaping the venue — fought through tears as he reflected on his horrific experience that night.

On Dec. 7, 2015, Eagles of Death Metal returned to France and joined U2 onstage at AccorHotels Arena for a pair of songs. Eagles of Death Metal came back to Paris on Feb. 16, 2016, and played a show at the Olympia concert hall for survivors of the attack. After the first song, Hughes asked for 89 seconds of silence. “Let’s take a moment to remember,” he said, “and then we’ll get back to the fun.”

About a month later in an interview with Fox Business Network, Hughes made a polarizing comment, suggesting that Bataclan security guards were complicit in the attack. A Bataclan survivor penned Hughes an open letter expressing his anger and disappointment, and two French music festivals dropped Eagles of Death Metal from their bill.

Hughes apologized on social media, saying, “I’ve been dealing with nonstop nightmares and struggling through therapy to make sense of this tragedy and insanity.”

With Eagles of Death Metal’s current tour bringing the band to the Hard Rock Hotel on Friday, we look back at some other concert tragedies and how they affected the acts involved.

The Bataclan shooting immediately evoked memories of an incident that happened more than a decade before in Columbus, Ohio. On Dec. 8, 2004, hundreds of fans attended a concert by Damageplan, featuring Darrell and Vincent Abbott (aka Dimebag and Vinnie Paul) of Pantera. During the performance, a gunman shot and killed Darrell. Four other people died that night, including a crew member. The group never played another show, and Vinnie didn’t drum again until 2006 when he joined Hellyeah.

On Dec. 6, 1969, near Tracy, California, the Rolling Stones performed a free show at Altamont Speedway using members of the Hells Angels as security. When an 18-year-old man tried to climb on the stage, an altercation ensued and the man was stabbed to death by a member of the motorcycle gang. The incident is immortalized in the concert film “Gimme Shelter.” The Rolling Stones played their next show Dec. 14, 1969, in London.

On Aug. 13, 2011, the country band Sugarland was getting ready to perform at the Indiana State Fair in Indianapolis when extreme weather caused the stage to collapse, killing seven fans. Less than a week later, the band performed in Albuquerque, New Mexico. In its first show since the tragedy, Sugarland observed a moment of silence for “all the beautiful lives that were lost” and was joined onstage by its entire crew to sing “Love.” The band also played a free Indianapolis concert in October 2011 as a tribute to the victims of the stage collapse.

On Feb. 20, 2003, the hard rock outfit Great White performed at a small club in West Warwick, Rhode Island. The act had just started its set when flames from part of its stage production ignited a fire that claimed the lives of 100 fans. Great White didn’t play another show until July 23, 2003, when it kicked off a benefit tour.

Read more from Dave Herrera at reviewjournal.com. Contact him at dherrera@reviewjournal.com and follow @rjmusicdh on Twitter.