Queens of the Stone Age Go Underground: ‘Alive In The Catacombs’ Premieres June 5
It’s not every day a rock band plays for an audience of six million skulls—but then again, Queens of the Stone Age have never been your average band.
On June 5, QOTSA unleashes “Alive In The Catacombs”, a surreal and haunting audiovisual experience filmed in the Catacombs of Paris. This historic underground ossuary, a 200-mile labyrinth housing the remains of millions, becomes the unlikely stage for one of the most intimate and stripped-down performances in modern rock history.
Filmed in July 2024, this performance is the culmination of frontman Josh Homme’s two-decade dream to create a concert that feels more like a séance than a show. The city of Paris had never before granted permission for an artist to perform in the sacred tunnels—until now.
Directed by Thomas Rames and produced by La Blogothèque, the project captures QOTSA—Homme, Troy Van Leeuwen, Michael Shuman, Dean Fertita, and Jon Theodore—joined by a three-piece string section and using everything from chains to chopsticks to conjure otherworldly percussion. With no overdubs or edits, every track was recorded in one live take. Forget power amps and studio wizardry—there weren’t even outlets in the Catacombs. The band literally rigged a car battery to power their electric piano.
“That space dictates everything,” says Homme. “It would be ridiculous to try to rock there. You do what you’re told when you’re in there.”
Each song on the carefully chosen setlist is reimagined for the eerie acoustics and ghostly echoes of the Catacombs. The result is a raw, reverent, and spine-tingling journey into the soul of QOTSA—musically and emotionally stripped to the bone.
Fans who pre-order by June 7 via qotsa.com will gain exclusive behind-the-scenes access. The full film will be available for rental and purchase, with an audio-only release to follow soon.
This isn’t just a concert—it’s a cinematic exorcism of sound, death, and beauty. “Alive In The Catacombs” is not to be missed.
