Musicqueens of the Stone Age faces pain in a show recorded in the catacombs of Paris

“If you ever be haunted, being surrounded by several million dead is the place. I never felt so welcome in my life.” – Joshua Homme

A presentation surrounded by bones, echoes and confession. This is what the Brazilian public witnessed yesterday (5) in the single session of Alive in the Catacombsthe new movie movie Queens of the Stone Agedisplayed in Curtain cineclubin downtown São Paulo. Recorded in July 2024, the performance marks not only one of the most intimate shows of the band’s career, but also a moment of extreme vulnerability for their singer, Josh Homme.

The lease? Nothing less than the catacombs of Paris, the darkest side of the city. About 20 meters below the ground, the tunnels house the remains of more than 6 million people. A silent and damp maze, where only 1.5 km is accessible to the public. In this scenario of funeral silence and natural resonance, Host and their band gave life to a slow and emotionally charged version of the Qotsa.

The presentation was meticulously designed for that space. Each choice, of lighting available to the musicians, was made respecting the cavernous acoustics, the sound of dripping water, the cold echo between the corridors. With the production of the worshiped La Blogothèque and directed by Thomas Rames, The show has minimalist arrangements and expanded instrumentation: violins, double bass, xylophone …

The voice of Hostoften whispered, crosses the skilled skulls, amplifying the pain he carried at that moment. The show was recorded just before the band canceled the remaining shows of the tour The End is Nerobecause of a serious medical emergency with the singer, who, according to the documentary displayed with the show, was feeling on the verge of death.

And that’s where the second act comes in: Alive in Paris and Beforedocumentary directed by Andreas Neumanncollaborator of the longtime band. The production shows the backstage of the show in the catacombs, starting with the rehearsals held in Italy, going through the tensions of the team, the uncertainty of following the project and the awareness that this could be the last show of Josh Homme. An idea that, according to Doc, was being planned for 20 years, but was only realized when the singer was facing his biggest health crisis.

Instead of a ghostly spectacle, Alive in the Catacombs Deliver a ritual of pain. Songs such as “Villains of Circumstance” and “SUTURE UP Your Future” They gain strength in silence, pause, emotion, underground reverberation. It is as if the band has touched not to survive, but to say goodbye.

In the end, the movie does not mark a definitive goodbye, but the end of a dark chapter, which the band faced with courage, emotion and crushing. And invites us to descend with them. To the bottom.

Below you can see the trailer for both movies:

Setlist (acoustic):

1. Running Joke / Paper Machete
2. Kalopsy
3. Villains of Circumstance
4. Suture up your future
5. I Never Came
6. This lullaby

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