Le Bataclan Will Reopen in November With Concerts From Pete Doherty + More
Le Bataclan will host one of its very first shows almost one year to the day after temporarily shuttering its doors following a terror attack that took the lives on 89 people at an Eagles of Death Metal concert.
The Paris theater announced a series of concerts planned after it reopens to the public following investigations into the attack and subsequent renovations. The Libertines frontman Pete Doherty will play a show on Nov. 16. Then, Youssou N’dour, Nada Surf and Mz will take the stage on Nov. 18, Dec. 2 and Dec. 3, respectively. The Facebook statement notes venue owners have not set a firm opening date, which means Doherty may not be the very first artist to christen Le Bataclan’s stage following the terror attack last year.
The theater was one target in a series of coordinated attacks across the French capital on Nov. 13 of last year. Shortly afterward, the venue owners assured Le Bataclan would, without a doubt, reopen in the future. “Hearts will be heavy for a few months, a few years,” co-manager Dominique Revert said. “But we will reopen. We will not surrender.”
Eagles of Death Metal frontman Jesse Hughes said he hoped to be the first band to play the theater when it reopens. However, he later suggested Le Bataclan’s security may have been involved in the attack -- comments the venue’s management called “defamatory.” Hughes later apologized, retracting his allegations and calling them “unfounded and baseless.”