In their first interview since the Paris terrorist attacks, Eagles of Death Metal have spoken openly about the tragedy when members of terrorist organization ISIS opened fire during the band's concert at the Bataclan theater on Nov. 13, killing nearly 100 people, as HNGN previously reported.
In the half-hour interview with VICE, Eagles of Death Metal band members including lead vocalist Jesse Hughes, guitarist Eden Galindo, bassist Matt McJunkins and drummer Julian Dorio as well as the band's sound engineer Shawn London revisited in detail the events of the horrific night. The group's co-founder Josh Homme, who was not performing with the band on the tragic night, was also part of the interview.
"I immediately knew something was wrong," Dorio said, according to Rolling Stone. "I bailed off my stool almost immediately [when I heard the shots]. ... I turned, looked through my drum hardware to the side of an amp, and that's when the second round started."
"At first I thought it was the PA cracking up," Galindo added. "I realized real quick that it wasn't, then I recognized what it was. At that time, Jesse ran towards me and we went in the corner of the stage. We weren't sure if they were targeting us or what was going on."
London said he saw two men armed with weapons entering the concert hall and relentlessly shooting at the crowd. One of the gunmen even fired at him but missed, he said, Variety reported.
"He stayed there and continued to shoot and slaughter and just scream at the top of his lungs, 'Allahu akbar.' And that's when I instantly knew what was going on," said London, who managed to escape the venue while other band members rushed to the backstage rooms for protection.
Homme recounted his reaction when he first heard the news of the Paris attacks. He and Hughes then spoke about the death of Eagles of Death merchandise manager Nick Alexander and expressed their gratitude toward fans and the efforts being made to support all those who perished in the terrorist attack before adding that the group will return to the Bataclan theater in the future.
"I want to be the first band to play in the Bataclan when it opens back up. Our friends went there to see rock and roll and died. I want to go back and live," said Hughes.
Watch the full interview below:
