‘Alive in the Catacombs’ is QOTSA’s ‘Live in Pompeii’
I don’t particularly find pride to be a healthy or helpful attribute. People take pride in some pretty shitty things, and it motivates some pretty shitty actions. But I do take pride in being absolutely right about Josh Homme and Queens of the Stone Age because I made that decision based solely on the sounds I heard on Songs for the Deaf. QOTSA immediately became the foundation upon which my uninfluenced identity was built.
Homme has done more to evolve the rock genre than almost anyone since Pink Floyd. The stoner rock genre exists because of him. Hell, rock survives because of him…and sometimes-QOTSA drummer Dave Grohl. But if we’re comparing the two, Homme wins in a landslide.
Foo Fighters isn’t exactly redefining the genre by covering disco tracks. They’re a radio-friendly, arena rock band first and foremost. Pop rock poppycock. QOTSA, at considerable expense, both fiscally and physically, did a live performance no one could pay to see live. It’s QOTSA’s Live at Pompeii, and it solidifies the band I’ve been saying will go down as one of the best ever as one of the best ever.
You know it’s good when someone gives you the movie for free and you end up buying it anyway. That’s what I did. I watched a pirated copy shared with me and felt I owed QOTSA $10 for the way it made me feel. I also got access to the “Alive in Paris and Before” documentary, which as a pleasant surprise until I watched it.
There’s one moment in the documentary worth watching, when Homme, in a hospital bed after surgery, says “if you’re watching this, we probably mean a lot to each other.” I don’t know many rockstars who would say that let alone mean it. And it’s hard to be anything but genuine when you’ve faced death and are doped up on painkillers.
Never forget that this man could have been killed in a terrorist attack 10 years ago. In 2015, Homme was doing a show in Paris with one of his other bands, Eagles of Death Metal, when terrorists attacked the theater and killed 89 people. Since then he’s released two new QOTSA records, headlined Riot Fest twice, and introduced big band swing elements to the rock genre. Cancer tried to kill him multiple times since the shootout. But he cannot be killed, because he is the last true rockstar.
When we look back at rock music 50 years from now, we’ll say its foundation was built by Link Wray, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and Queens of the Stone Age.
