Eagles of Death Metal rumored to perform with U2 in Paris

Their concert in the Bataclan concert venue in the heart of Paris was a target of the massive terrorist attacks that left 130 people dead just three and a half weeks ago.

Will the rock band Eagles of Death Metal make an appearance Monday night (07.12.2015) in Paris together with rock legends U2?

Rumors have been stoked in part by Billboard magazine.

Instead of the US group, singer Patti Smith was reportedly the surprise guest at the U2 gig on Sunday.

U2 were originally scheduled to perform in Paris shortly after the attacks on November 13, but postponed the concerts to December 5, 6 and 7. Sunday and Monday's shows are taking place in the AccorHotels Arena, which has capacity for 16,000 spectators.

U2 front man Bono has written a song about the Paris attacks which - should they appear - could feature the Eagles of Death Metal.

'Music is the sound of freedom'

"We think of music as the sound of freedom," US guitarist The Edge told American broadcaster CNN. "We think rock and roll has a part to play, so going back to Paris to us is not just symbolic. I think we're actually starting the process of resistance, of defiance against this movement," he added referring to the terrorist organization, "Islamic State," which was behind November's attacks.

The lyrics of the song read: "Every man's got one city of liberty, for me it's Paris, I love it. Every time I get lost down these ancient streets, I find myself again. I didn't come here to fight you. I came down these streets of love and pride to surrender."

Besides the terror attacks, which targeted the Bataclan, the Stade de France stadium where Germany and France were playing a friendly, and several cafes and restaurants, the song mentions the current refugee crisis: "Everybody's crying about some kid that they found lying on a beach, born in a manger."

The reference is to Aylan Kurdi, a three-year-old Syrian refugee who was found dead on a beach in Turkey. His photo shook the world this fall and became an icon of the refugee crisis.

Bataclan remains closed

One of the bars involved in the November 13 attacks - À la bonne bière - reopened on Friday. UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon drank a coffee in the establishment on Sunday after commemorating the victims in a visit to the Bataclan.

The concert venue, where the Eagles of Death Metal were performing that fateful night, remains closed, though hundreds of people gather there every day to pay their respects to the 90 people who were killed on November 13.

While the Eagles of Death Metal cancelled their Europe tour, singer Jesse Hughes later told "Vice" magazine that they would like to be the first band to perform in the Bataclan once it reopens.

kbm/eg (AFP, dpa)