Gojira’s 2024 summer Olympics opening performance has been projected on the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
READ MORE: Gojira – ‘Fortitude’ review: seismic metal ragers that push heavy rock forwards
Back In July, the French group became the first heavy metal act to appear in an Olympic opening ceremony, performing on July 26 alongside experimental opera singer Marina Viotti.
Gojira performed a cover of ‘Ah, Ça Ira!’ (which translates to ‘It’ll be fine’), a song that was popular during the French Revolution, during a segment titled ‘Liberté’ (in reference to France’s famed motto ‘Liberté, égalité, fraternité’), which celebrated one of the most famous events in French history, as well as the nation’s emphasis on freedom.
“Ah ! Ça ira !”
Après l’avoir performée avec Gojira, la chanteuse lyrique Marina Viotti revient interpréter la chanson devant l’Arc de Triomphe ! #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/TLmCvm4PmV
— France tv (@FranceTV) September 14, 2024
On September 14, the band’s iconic performance was projected on Paris’ Arc de Triomphe at night. Though Gojira weren’t there, Viotti did make an appearance and performed the song live in front of the monument.
During the ceremony, the band appeared on the side of a castle surrounded by fire and bursts of red streamers, with Viotti later appearing on a moving prop boat. Their performance followed a portion dedicated to Les Misérables and came just after a beheaded Marie Antoinette was shown singing.
The spectacle left viewers asking themselves if they’d just seen “one of the most memorable moments of 2024” or a “freakshow”. As heightened reactions on social media swirled, Gojira were forced to respond to claims their performance was “Satanic”.
Frontman Joe Duplantier told Rolling Stone: “It’s French history. It’s French charm, you know, beheaded people, red wine and blood all over the place — it’s romantic, it’s normal. There’s nothing satanic.”
Despite the controversy, it massively increased Gojira’s streaming numbers, with their monthly listeners shooting up to just under 2.7million a week after their performance, a growth of almost 50 per cent.
Last month, the band released their cover of ‘Ah, Ça Ira!’ on streaming platforms such as Spotify, Apple Music and more.
In other news, Duplantier recently shared an update on Gojira’s “ambitious” next album, saying: “We’re very ambitious in terms of writing songs and the quality of it. And we wanna take a clear step forward and upward with this album. So we’re putting all our love and energy on it.”
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