If you’ve been paying attention to the news today, you’re aware that the city of Paris, France was the center of a string of terrorist attacks that have left scores of people dead and injured. The Grammy-winning rock band U2 was set to play a two-night concert at Paris’ AccorHotels Arena, with Saturday’s performance to be broadcast live on HBO through a deal with Live Nation. To be expected, the shows have been postponed as the world capital slowly begins picking up the pieces.
While in Paris, U2 released a statement about the tragedies on their website.
We watched in disbelief and shock at the unfolding events in Paris and our hearts go out to all the victims and their families across the city tonight. We are devastated at the loss of life at the Eagles of Death Metal concert and our thoughts and prayers are with the band and their fans. And we hope and pray that all of our fans in Paris are safe.
U2 won’t be staying away forever, though, as they fully plan on performing the show to sold-out crowds at some point after things have calmed down and order is restored. Order can never fully be restored after such a heinous series of events, but enough for a concert at least. The network has announced that in place of the concert, it will be airing the Clint Eastwood musical drama Jersey Boys. It seems like the network might have chosen to go with U2 3D, but I guess it’s a missed opportunity.
For decades, HBO has been known for airing concert specials that feature some of the biggest musicians in the world, and the U2 special was no exception. It’ll be interesting to see if HBO reteams with U2 for the rescheduled concert, or if they’ll end up live-broadcasting one of their concerts in a different city. In any case, a lack of live music is hardly the most important aspect of this situation.
In the second horrific attack in Paris this year, a swarm of terrorists set up a coordinated attack on several different locations within the city. The biggest massacre occurred at the Bataclan concert venue, where the rock band Eagles of Death Metal were performing when gunmen entered and started shooting into the crowd, later keeping the survivors hostage. Two restaurants were also the setting of gunmen opening fire, and there were explosions outside of the State de France, where thousands were watching a soccer match between France and Germany. Several of the terrorists that were captured/killed had bombs strapped to them, and some are still at large. At this point, the cause for the attacks is still unknown, and over 150 people have been confirmed dead.
We here at CinemaBlend send our thoughts and condolences to everyone in Paris tonight. Stay safe, people.
