Jesse Hughes has told how U2 helped him recover from shock in the aftermath of the Paris terror attacks – at a time when the Eagles Of Death Metal frontman wasn’t sure he could ever perform again.
And he’s described the Irish band’s hospitality when he took part in their own Paris show as the best way to get over his fear of returning.
EODM were on stage when 89 people were killed at the Bataclan venue last month. They guested with U2 just weeks later, playing a collective cover of People Have The Power, and then Bono’s outfit left the stage so they could perform alone. They’ve now rescheduled the shows they’d been forced to postpone.
Hughes tells Rolling Stone: “Bono knows I’m a Christian and he knows I’m a mamma’s boy. The day after the attack a courier came with a phone and a note that said, ‘This is from Bono. Make sure you call your mom.’
“I thought that was awesome – it was the first time I really got to talk to my mom without being in a police station, and that meant the whole world to me at that moment.”
Bono later called him to offer advice and support. “I felt like the best person to ask is someone who’s rubbed elbows with world leaders,” says Hughes.
“He just prayed with me on the phone. He kept my head off things. Then U2 visited the memorial site – that was important to me because I really wanted to be out there. I didn’t want to be in some safe house.
“That little detail is something that nobody would ever know mattered, but it mattered to me. I didn’t know how I was ever going to get back on stage again.”
Hughes faced down his fear when EODM played with Bono and co. “U2 were trying to make sure we didn’t have something in us killed,” he says.
“They would have accomplished their goal if they’d just performed the song with us. They didn’t have to give us the stage for the last song – and they did.
“They took care of us completely. They were genuine and sincere, and they were very proud of our accomplishments after the fact. That was such a beautiful way to put training-wheels on for performing.”
Hughes and bandmate Josh Homme – who wasn’t on tour with EODM at the time – recently launched a charity campaign to raise money for victims of the Paris attacks via cover versions of their track I Love You All The Time.
Hughes says: “It is not in my nature to let the bad guys win. I don’t like bullies, I love my people, and I love rock’n’rollers. I can’t wait to get back on tour.”
