Alive in the Catacombs is an acoustic concert film and extended play (EP) by the rock band Queens of the Stone Age. It was released on June 5, 2025. The concert was recorded in the Catacombs of Paris on July 8, 2024, marking the first time a musical act has legally played in the Catacombs with the city’s permission.
Frontman Josh Homme said that playing Album of the Week in Paris gave the band some connections who assisted in getting a recording in the city’s Catacombs to happen. They asked a few times and were rejected, about which Homme said:
“I never thought it would happen, but there’s no reason to stop trying.”
With the help of an insider Paris official, they eventually received permission, marking the first time a musical act has legally played in the Catacombs with the city’s permission. The show was filmed a few days after the band announced that some The End is Nero World Tour dates would be canceled due to Homme‘s health issues; the recording took place on July 4, 2024, and Homme flew back to the U.S. for emergency surgery the following day. Speaking of the decision to make the concert an acoustic one, Homme discussed the influence of the Catacombs:
“We’re so stripped down because that place is so stripped down, which makes the music so stripped down, which makes the words so stripped down. It would be ridiculous to try to rock there. All those decisions were made by that space. That space dictates everything, it’s in charge. You do what you’re told when you’re in there.”
The film was released digitally on June 5, 2025, along with a documentary by Andreas Neumann called Alive in Paris and Before, featuring the band’s process getting ready to record the film. An audio-only version was released in an EP format on June 13, 2025, along with a vinyl edition. In October 2025, the band will begin The Catacombs Tour to support the release of the EP, featuring stripped down versions of songs performed at historic theaters.
Tracklist:
- Running Joke / Paper Machete: Era Vulgaris (2007) / In Times New Roman… (2023)
- Kalopsia: …Like Clockwork (2013)
- Villains of Circumstance: Villains (2017)
- Suture Up Your Future: Era Vulgaris (2007)
- I Never Came: Lullabies to Paralyze (2005)
Credits:
Queens of the Stone Age
Josh Homme: lead vocals, sound director
Troy Van Leeuwen: acoustic guitar, synth, backing vocals
Dean Fertita: synth, glockenspiel
Michael Shuman: acoustic bass guitar, backing vocals
Jon Theodore: percussion
Strings
Christelle Lassort Kiki
Bella June Bozic
Cécile Lacharme
Additional personnel
Mark Rankin: sound director
Gavin Lurssen: mastering
Marie Delaby: sound director
Henri d’Armancourt: sound director
Théo Fauger: director of photography
La Blogotheque: producer
Anousonne Savanchomkeo: executive producer
Esther: production manager
Alice: production assistant
Paul: production assistant
Louise: production assistant
Yasmina Chambenoit: assistant director
Clara Griot: camera operator
Titouan Deniaud: camera operator
Katia Hamnane: steadicam
Alban Lejeune: sound engineer
Andreas Neumann:0 photography and introduction
