“If you’re ever going to be haunted, surrounded by several million dead people is the place. I’ve never felt so welcome in my life.”
—Joshua Homme
Queens of the Stone Age present the cinematic realization of a dream with the premiere of Alive in the Catacombs on June 5 — an audiovisual document of their long-rumored performance in the legendary Catacombs of Paris.
WATCH THE TRAILER
https://queensofthestoneage.lnk.to/trailer
Filmed and recorded in July 2024, Queens of the Stone Age: Alive in the Catacombs showcases the band as you’ve never seen or heard them before.
This truly one-of-a-kind, unrepeatable experience features a carefully curated setlist spanning the entire QOTSA discography, with each track reimagined for the eerie atmosphere of the Catacombs.
The result is an unprecedented version of QOTSA in their most introspective form — literally surrounded by millions of human remains:
“The biggest audience we’ve ever played for,” says Joshua Homme.
The Paris Catacombs are an extensive ossuary stretching 320 kilometers beneath the city’s surface.
Founded on millions of skeletons buried during the 18th century, the remains are largely exposed, with walls built from skulls and bones.
Homme dreamed of performing with QOTSA in the Catacombs since his first visit nearly 20 years ago.
However, the city of Paris had never granted permission to any artist to perform in these sacred galleries.
As law-abiding citizens, QOTSA patiently waited for their vision to be officially approved.
Hélène Furminieux (Les Catacombes de Paris) stated:
“The Paris Catacombs are fertile ground for the imagination.
It’s important for artists to embrace this universe and interpret it sensitively.
Descending underground and confronting thoughts on death can be a profoundly intense experience.
Josh seemed to fully absorb the energy of this place.
The recordings resonate perfectly with the mystery, the history, and a kind of introspection, most apparent in the delicate use of silence within the Catacombs.”
Every aesthetic decision — every song choice, every arrangement — was made with absolute respect for the Catacombs.
From the acoustics and ambient sounds of the space (dripping water, echoes, natural reverberation) to the evocative lighting enhancing the atmosphere.
Far from the soundproofed comfort of a studio or the conveniences of a stage, Alive in the Catacombs shows the band not just rising to the challenge but fully embracing it.
Homme recalls:
“We’re so ‘naked,’ because the space itself is naked. That makes the music more naked, the lyrics more naked…
It would be ridiculous to try to ‘rock’ in there. Every decision was dictated by the space itself.
Inside there, you do what the room tells you.”
QOTSA stripped to their essence — Homme, Troy Van Leeuwen, Michael Shuman, Dean Fertita, and Jon Theodore, joined by a string trio, using chains and sticks as improvised percussion.
Alive in the Catacombs is Queens of the Stone Age in their rawest, most honest form — inventing solutions like powering an electric piano with a car battery.
And with no filters — every song was recorded live in a single take, with no overdubs or edits.
Words are not enough to describe Alive in the Catacombs.
Its staggering balance of subtlety and grandeur must be experienced to be appreciated.
The beauty lies in the struggle — both internal and external.
This is Joshua Homme at his most physically vulnerable, yet most triumphant.
Queens of the Stone Age: Alive in the Catacombs is a La Blogothèque production, directed by Thomas Rames, and released by Queens of the Stone Age and Matador Records.
The film will be available for rental or purchase at qotsa.com, with pre-orders now open.
Fans who purchase Alive in the Catacombs by June 7 will receive exclusive access to behind-the-scenes content, along with full streaming and download capabilities.
An audio version of the project will be announced in the coming weeks.
PRE-ORDER LINK
https://queensofthestoneage.lnk.to/vhx
Learn more about the Paris Catacombs:
https://www.catacombes.paris.fr/en
