Inside Story

Queens of the Stone Age frontman Josh Homme has always leaned into the eerie and the extraordinary — and with Alive in the Catacombs, he dives deep into both. Set beneath the streets of Paris, the new concert film captures Homme and his band performing stripped-down versions of fan favorites surrounded by the skeletal remains of over 6 million people.

Shot in a single day in the fabled Paris Catacombs, the performance was more than a bold creative endeavor — it was a personal milestone. Having recently recovered from cancer, Homme saw this performance as a testament to resilience. “If you’re going through hell, keep going,” he says — advice he clearly lives by.

More than just a concert, the project is part meditation, part séance. With strings by Christelle Lassort and Arabella Bozig, tracks like “Kalopsia” and “Villains of Circumstance” are reimagined to suit the solemn, shadowy backdrop.

Rather than just entertain the living, Homme sees this as a gesture to the dead. “What would you want to hear if you were one of them?” he asks. The answer: music about pain, healing, and humanity — raw, honest, and unforgettable.

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Photo Credit: Milan Risky / Shutterstock.com