Fans responded with emotion as Eagles of Death Metal, an American hard rock band, posted the first lengthy statement since the terrorist attack during its Nov. 13 concert at the Bataclan theater in Paris.
Mark Backwell, a fan who said he traveled from London to hear the band and escaped with nine friends, some injured, expressed gratitude on Facebook to a woman—a stranger—who stopped the bleeding from a bullet wound in his arm.
“She was a marvel,” he said.
“While the band is now home safe, we are horrified and still trying to come to terms with what happened in France,” the California band wrote on Facebook.
The Islamic State’s attacks in Paris left 129 dead and hundreds wounded. Terrorists, whose gunfire interrupted the band’s show, killed 89 men and women at the Bataclan concert hall, the Associated Press reported.
Eagles of Death Metal (EODM) lost its British merchandise manager, Nick Alexander, in the attack. None of the band’s five members was seriously hurt.
“Although bonded in grief with the victims, the fans, the families, the citizens of Paris, and all those affected by terrorism, we are proud to stand together, with our new family, now united by a common goal of love and compassion,” EODM said in the statement.
While the band is now home safe, we are horrified and still trying to come to terms with what happened in France. Our…
Posted by Eagles Of Death Metal on Wednesday, November 18, 2015
“We would like to thank the French police, the FBI, the U.S. and French State Departments, and especially all those at ground zero with us who helped each other as best they could during this unimaginable ordeal, proving once again that love overshadows evil.”
EODM, which has released four full-length CDs since 2004, is a collaboration between drummer Josh Homme and guitarist-vocalist Jesse Hughes, longtime friends from Palm Desert, Calif., according to AllMusic.com.
Homme, who was not on stage that night, said his existing charity would accept donations for victims of the attack, Today.com reported. Thousands of Facebook users engaged with the band’s Facebook post.
“The terror feels closer than ever,” writes Daniela Anna Giannone from Brussels. “But it’s wonderful to experience how people here and worldwide stand united.”
Many left heartfelt comments sharing firsthand accounts of being at the concert.
“I witnessed so much solidarity that it helped me a lot to still believe in human beings,” says Loo Loose, who escaped. “I believe in humanity now even more despite the horror we’ve all been through.”
Others left supportive messages for those directly affected by the attack and expressed gratitude for the compassion seen around the world.
“You stood by us during 9/11 and we stand by you now,” wrote Matt Stegg from the United States.
Here are 15 more comments in response to the band’s Facebook post:
Ken McIntyre contributed to this report.