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Eagles of Death Metal fan watches band's first Paris show since attacks

After their November show was cut short by a terrorist massacre, the Eagles of Death Metal rocked out again in Paris. A fan who is still shaken by what he witnessed in November saw them again Tuesday night.
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Jesse Hughes, the singer of US rock group Eagles of Death Metal, blows a kiss before the start of the concert at the Olympia concert hall in Paris (JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images) (Joel Saget/AFP/Getty)

The band Eagles Of Death Metal got around to some unfinished business Tuesday night in Paris. The band performed in front of a packed house, four months after Islamic extremists burst into their Paris show killing 90 people.  

Alexis, who has asked to have his last name withheld, was at the show in November, "It felt a little weird when I entered the Olympia [venue], I stayed near the entrance."

Olympia concert venue in Paris, a few hours ahead of a concert by US rock group Eagles of Death Metal, on February 16, 2016. ( JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images) (Joel Saget/AFP/Getty)

Armed police guarded entrances to the Olympia for Tuesday's performance, and concert-goers were searched three times before entering.

"The security service was huge, so that was comforting," Alexis tells As It Happens host Carol Off.

US rock group Eagles of Death Metal perform on stage at the Olympia concert hall in Paris, on February 16, 2016. ( JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images) (Joel Saget/AFP/Getty)

The band's November 13 performance at the Bataclan concert hall turned into a bloodbath when suicide bombers stormed in, as near-simultaneous attacks hit cafes and a stadium around Paris.

Alexis was near the stage during the November concert and pretended to be dead for over an hour until the police were able to gain control of the venue. Eighty-nine people were killed and over 200 injured in this attack alone.

Jesse Hughes (C), the singer of US rock group Eagles of Death Metal, holds a tee-shirt prior to the start of the concert at the Olympia concert hall in Paris (JOEL SAGET/AFP/Getty Images) (Joel Saget/AFP/Getty)

Alexis says his life hasn't been the same since the attack, "personally I haven't been to any concerts since November 13th. I haven't been to the movies again, I try to avoid public places like bars, it's a complete change."

Alexis says when the band took the stage, the crowd erupted, "the atmosphere was crazy, it was madness. I cannot describe how emotional it was at this moment. It was a memory for a lifetime."

Despite the rave reviews he gives the concert, Alexis says the show hasn't given him the closure he needs, "I think some people can move on more easily. I can't say that the concert helped me to move on. It reminded me of the events and brought me back there. So it's not as positive as you would expect or could imagine."

With files from AP

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