Bataclan Owners Issue Statement on Paris Attacks
UPDATE: Dominique Revert, co-manager of Bataclan, tells Billboard that the club will reopen. “It will reopen, no question about it,” he said. “Hearts will be heavy for a few months, a few years. But we will reopen. We will not surrender.”
The owners of Paris’ Bataclan venue, the scene of the Eagles of Death Metal concert struck by a terror attack Friday, have issued their first statement since the tragedy. “No words can express the level of sadness we feel. Our thoughts go to the victims, to those injured and to their loved ones,” the Bataclan’s owners said in the statement.
Over the weekend, the blood-stained sidewalk outside the venue had become the epicenter where mourners gathered and paid tribute to those killed in the attacks. “Many of you want to come to the Bataclan, but unfortunately, the authorities still need to work on [the] site,” the venue’s owners added in the statement posted on Twitter (as translated by Buzzfeed). “We will keep you informed as soon as it’s possible for you to come and mourn in front of the concert hall. Thank you for your support, which deeply affects us.”
Dominique Revert, a co-owner of Bataclan who was not at the venue at the time of the attack, spoke to France’s Le Figaro about the incident and France’s increased security measures in the aftermath. The city imposed a two-day ban on all concerts – thus the postponement of U2 and Motorhead’s Paris gigs this weekend, among others – but the order was scheduled to lift on Monday, in time for Marilyn Manson’s concert at Paris’ Zurich venue. However, Manson’s performance has since been cancelled.
Simply Red is scheduled to play the Zurich venue Tuesday night, and as of press time, that concert is still a go. “Only the French authorities will prevent us from performing in Paris. With their permission we will be proud to perform in Paris on Tuesday,” the “Holding Back the Years” band tweeted.
Chers amis … pic.twitter.com/tnGDFUZZin
— Le Bataclan (@le_bataclan) November 16, 2015