Eagles of Death Metal
The Henry Fonda Theater
Hollywood, California
June 15, 2006
Victoria Joyce
(SugarBuzz Hollywood)
Phone Photos By Victoria
The wonderful Eagles of Death Metal have returned home! We saw them for a second at last year’s Sunset Junction and for 10 minutes at Coachella last month. Is this the hottest band in the USA or what?
Caught the better part of an on-air interview with lead singer and Yosemite Sam look-alike, Jesse Hughes, with Steve Jones earlier on show day on Indie 103’s nooner; Jonesy’s Jukebox. Required listening for all Hollywood rockers.
Jesse told the story of the bands name. In a car with friends, someone asked for ‘death metal’ and he put on the band Poison. His pal chided they were ‘the Eagles of Death Metal.” Jesse was munching graham crackers at the time and laughed so hard he sprayed crumbs all over. Nice image, huh? “We gotta start a band with that name!”
Jesse and Steve bonded like brothers, talking World Cup stuff and rock and roll. Hughes played a brand new song for Jones. “It’s a B-side.” A wicked cover of the Robert Palmer classic “Addicted to Love” that featured his own son, Rosie, aged six on drums. “OK, Dad, watch this beat.”)
Real sharp version with the signature high pitched falsetto vocal harmonies of Josh and sidemen, Dave Catching on guitar, Brian "Big Hands" O'Connor on bass guitar. Proud papa and deeply humble, Jesse wrapped up the interview with “We are very fortunate and every day in this business is a gift.”
The EODM co-founder, Josh Homme (of Queens of the Stone Age) is on record describing his band “as a combination of: bluegrass slide guitar mixed with stripper drum beats and Canned Heat vocals." We heard the Kinks and the Ramones and maybe some Pixies. Straight ahead rock and roll. Fun and fast. Sweet songs, hooks and riffs. Lyrics are about dancing, love, sex and life. Not the usual me, me, me, depression crapola. Not by a damsite.
A sold out show at The Henry Fonda Theater, a wonderful venue on Hollywood Boulevard, big but perfect for an intimate homecoming. Is it too early in the calendar to call the best show of the year?
Radio hit, “I Got a Feeling,” and another one from the new album “Death by Sexy, “I Want You So Hard” got raves from the crowd. And we love “Whorehopping” from their first album with those censored lyrics. And their famous cover of Steeler’s Wheel with a slight change “Stuck in the Metal With You” more screaming love from the crowd.
Jesse stopped the show several times to tell the fans “Goddam, it’s good to be in Hollywood! It’s good to be home!” Strutting around the stage like a rooster and raising his hand “Let’s hear it for the ladies!” and “Can I get an Amen!” He heard and he got.
Wrapping up their tour opening for the Strokes they head back to Europe and then back home in the fall.
http://www.eaglesofdeathmetal.net