Bataclan (theatre)
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The Bataclan () is a
theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perform ...
located at 50
Boulevard Voltaire Boulevard Voltaire is a well-known boulevard in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. It was created by Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann during the reign of French emperor Napoleon III. Originally named Boulevard du Prince-Eugène, it was renamed Boul ...
in the 11th arrondissement of
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, France. Designed in 1864 by the architect Charles Duval, its name refers to '' Ba-ta-clan'', an operetta by
Jacques Offenbach Jacques Offenbach (, also , , ; 20 June 18195 October 1880) was a German-born French composer, cellist and impresario of the Romantic period. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s to the 1870s, and his uncompleted opera '' ...
. Since the early 1970s, it has been a venue for rock music. On 13 November 2015, 90 people were killed in a coordinated terrorist attack in the theatre.


History


Origin and use

The Bataclan originated as a large '' café-concert'' in the
Chinoiserie (, ; loanword from French '' chinoiserie'', from '' chinois'', "Chinese"; ) is the European interpretation and imitation of Chinese and other East Asian artistic traditions, especially in the decorative arts, garden design, architecture, lite ...
style, with the café and theatre on the ground floor and a large dance hall at first-floor level. Its original name was Grand Café Chinois. The French name "Bataclan" refers to the Offenbach operetta, but it is also a pun on the expression ''tout le bataclan'' (the "kit and caboodle", or "all that jazz", or "the whole nine yards"), the oldest written use of which predates Offenbach by almost a century, in a journal entry of 11 November 1761 by
Charles Simon Favart Charles Simon Favart (13 November 1710 – 12 May 1792) was a French playwright and theatre director. The Salle Favart in Paris is named after him. Biography Born in Paris, the son of a pastry-cook, he was educated at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand, a ...
. Concerts were held there but it was best known for putting on the
vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...
s of
Eugène Scribe Augustin Eugène Scribe (; 24 December 179120 February 1861) was a French dramatist and librettist. He is known for writing "well-made plays" ("pièces bien faites"), a mainstay of popular theatre for over 100 years, and as the librettist of ma ...
,
Jean-François Bayard Jean-François Alfred Bayard (17 March 1796, Charolles, Saône-et-Loire – 20 February 1853, Paris) was a French playwright. He was the nephew of fellow playwright Eugène Scribe. Life As a law student and a lawyer's clerk, Bayard wrote with p ...
,
Mélesville Baron Anne-Honoré-Joseph Duveyrier, pen-name Mélesville (13 December 1787 in Paris – 7 November 1865 in Marly-le-Roi) was a French dramatist. The playwright Mélesville fils was his son. Life The son of Honoré-Nicolas-Marie Duveyrier, M ...
, and
Théophile Marion Dumersan Théophile Marion Dumersan (4 January 1780, Plou, Cher – 13 April 1849, Paris) was a French writer of plays, vaudevilles, poetry, novels, chanson collections, librettos, and novels, as well as a numismatist and curator attached to the Cabinet ...
. The establishment, designed in 1864 by the architect Charles Duval, opened under the management of André Martin Paris on 3 February 1865 and was later bought by the singer Paulus in 1892. Also in 1892,
Buffalo Bill Cody William Frederick Cody (February 26, 1846January 10, 1917), known as "Buffalo Bill", was an American soldier, bison hunter, and showman. He was born in Le Claire, Iowa Territory (now the U.S. state of Iowa), but he lived for several years in ...
performed there. Over the next several years the building experienced both good and bad luck, and many changes in ownership. New fashions after 1910 led to a restoration of the auditorium and a programme dedicated solely to revues, especially those put on by
José de Bérys José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacu ...
. Maurice Chevalier had his first theatrical success there, and
Édith Piaf Édith Piaf (, , ; born Édith Giovanna Gassion, ; December 19, 1915– October 10, 1963) was a French singer, lyricist and actress. Noted as France's national chanteuse, she was one of the country's most widely known international stars. Pia ...
also performed there. Inspired by their new successes, the Bataclan troupe took big shows on a South American tour that proved financially disastrous. In 1926 the auditorium was sold and transformed into a cinema. A fire broke out in the building in 1933. The original building was partially demolished in 1950 to bring it into compliance with new safety measures then in force. In 1969, the cinema closed and the auditorium again became a ''salle de spectacle'' (usually translated as ''theatre'', occasionally as ''exhibition hall''). The venue started booking rock acts in the 1970s, and many famous performers have played there since. Among them are
Genesis Genesis may refer to: Bible * Book of Genesis, the first book of the biblical scriptures of both Judaism and Christianity, describing the creation of the Earth and of mankind * Genesis creation narrative, the first several chapters of the Book of ...
,
Soft Machine Soft Machine are a British rock band from Canterbury formed in mid-1966 by Mike Ratledge (keyboards, 1966–1976), Robert Wyatt (drums, vocals, 1966–1971), Kevin Ayers (bass, guitar, vocals, 1966–1968) and Daevid Allen (guitar, 1966–196 ...
,
Dream Theater Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of the ...
,
Phish Phish is an American rock band formed in Burlington, Vermont, in 1983. The band is known for musical improvisation, extended jams, blending of genres, and a dedicated fan base. The band consists of guitarist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon ...
, and
Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize the ...
. Following the terror attacks on 13 November 2015, during the concert by
Eagles of Death Metal Eagles of Death Metal is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, formed in 1998. Founded by Jesse Hughes (vocals, guitar) and Josh Homme (drums), the band also includes a wide range of other musicians who perform both on the band's ...
, the theatre was closed for repairs. The venue reopened one year after the attack with a Sting concert. The Bataclan is known today for a very eclectic programme of events, including rock and pop concerts, ''spectacles'', comedy,
disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
s and café-théâtre. Its façade was repainted in its original colours in 2006, but its
pagoda A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, ...
roof has been removed. In May 2015, the theatre hosted a "Who Is Malcolm X" event, featuring Muslim rappers Médine,
Kery James Alix Mathurin (; born 28 December 1977) better known as Kery James, is a French rapper, singer, songwriter, dancer and record producer from Orly, who was born in Guadeloupe to Haitian parents. Prior to his solo career, he was in Idéal J where ...
,
Disiz Sérigne M'Baye Gueye (; born 28 March 1978), better known by his stage name Disiz, (pronounced "This is", formerly Disiz la Peste and Disiz Peter Punk), is a French rapper and actor. Born to a Senegalese father and Belgian mother, he grew up ...
and
Faada Freddy Daara J (pronounced , which means "the school" in Wolof) are a Senegalese rap duet that consists of N'Dongo D and Faada Freddy. Their music takes influence from hip hop, Afro-Cuban rhythms, and reggae and is performed in English, French, Span ...
.
Jeff Buckley Jeffrey Scott Buckley (November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997), raised as Scott Moorhead, was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. After a decade as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, Buckley amassed a following in the early 1990s by ...
recorded his EP '' Live from the Bataclan'' there in 1995.
Progressive metal Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad :Fusion music genres, fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven s ...
band
Dream Theater Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of the ...
recorded their 1998 live album '' Once in a LIVEtime'' at the Bataclan. The 1972 performance by
Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...
,
John Cale John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, singer, songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various styl ...
and
Nico Naftiran Intertrade Company Société à responsabilité limitée#In Switzerland, limited (NICO) is a Switzerland, Swiss-based subsidiary of the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC). NICO is a general contractor for the oil and gas industry. NIOC bu ...
of the
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, long circulated as a bootleg, was officially released in 2004 as ''
Le Bataclan '72 ''Le Bataclan '72'' is a sixteen-track live album by Lou Reed, John Cale and Nico. It was recorded from the soundboard and heavily bootlegged over the years, before it gained an official release in 2004. Background and production The albu ...
''.
Camel A camel (from: la, camelus and grc-gre, κάμηλος (''kamēlos'') from Hebrew or Phoenician: גָמָל ''gāmāl''.) is an even-toed ungulate in the genus ''Camelus'' that bears distinctive fatty deposits known as "humps" on its back. C ...
's 2001 live album '' The Paris Collection'' was recorded there.


Threats for pro-Israel activities

For 40 years, the Bataclan had Jewish owners, Pascal and Joel Laloux, who sold the theatre to new owners on 11 September 2015. The theatre was a target for anti-Zionist activists, since the venue often held pro-Israel events. One extremist group called " Army of Islam" threatened the Bataclan in 2011 because its owners were Jews. Pro-Palestinian activists have protested against the Bataclan's association with pro-Israel activities. A video posted on YouTube shows masked pro-Palestinian militant protesters at the Bataclan in 2008 stating: "We came here to pass along a small message. Be warned. Next time we won’t be coming here to talk."


2015 terrorist attacks

On 13 November 2015, as part of a series of
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant An Islamic state is a State (polity), state that has a form of government based on sharia, Islamic law (sharia). As a term, it has been used to describe various historical Polity, polities and theories of governance in the Islamic world. As a t ...
(ISIL) terrorist attacks across Paris, three gunmen who were French nationals of Algerian descent conducted a
mass shooting There is a lack of consensus on how to define a mass shooting. Most terms define a minimum of three or four victims of gun violence (not including the shooter or in an inner city) in a short period of time, although an Australian study from 20 ...
at the Bataclan. An Austrian duo, the White Miles, had completed their performance, and the American rock band
Eagles of Death Metal Eagles of Death Metal is an American rock band from Palm Desert, California, formed in 1998. Founded by Jesse Hughes (vocals, guitar) and Josh Homme (drums), the band also includes a wide range of other musicians who perform both on the band's ...
were in the middle of their performance when three gunmen wearing suicide belts entered the theatre, firing at people at random and taking hostages. The police later stormed the theatre and two gunmen killed themselves during the police raid by detonating suicide vests they were wearing. A third was killed by police gunfire before he could detonate his vest. Two of the attackers, Samy Amimour and Omar Ismaïl Mostefaï, were French citizens. The third attacker, Foued Mohamed-Aggad, was carrying what was thought to be a stolen Syrian passport. As a result of the attacks, 90 people were killed and over 200 were wounded. The band members of Eagles of Death Metal and most of the road crew escaped unharmed, although their merchandise manager was among the fatalities.


Aftermath of attack

It was discovered shortly after the news broke of the attacks that the American rock band
Deftones Deftones is an American alternative metal band formed in Sacramento, California in 1988. They were formed by Chino Moreno (vocals, guitar), Stephen Carpenter (guitar), Abe Cunningham (drums), and Dominic Garcia (bass). During their first five ...
had members in attendance at the Eagles of Death Metal Show. The lead singer of Deftones,
Chino Moreno Chino Moreno (born Camillo Wong Moreno, June 20, 1973) is an American musician who is best known as the lead vocalist, primary lyricist and contributing guitarist of the metal band Deftones. He is also a member of the side-project groups Team Sl ...
, was eating dinner nearby with his family. Deftones had been scheduled to perform at the Bataclan on the following nights. Irish rock band U2 had been scheduled to perform two Paris concerts in the days following the attack, including one to be broadcast live on
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...
. The French government cancelled the concert and the members of the band went to the Bataclan the day after the attack, leaving bouquets of flowers in memory of the victims. Lead singer
Bono Paul David Hewson (born 10 May 1960), known by his stage name Bono (), is an Irish singer-songwriter, activist, and philanthropist. He is the lead vocalist and primary lyricist of the rock band U2. Born and raised in Dublin, he attended M ...
offered condolences and the band pledged to reschedule their Paris shows. On 16 November, the Bataclan management issued a statement that stated that the theatre was closed indefinitely. It read, "No words suffice to express the magnitude of our grief. Our thoughts go to the victims, to the wounded and to their loved ones. Many of you have wanted to gather in remembrance at the Bataclan. Unfortunately, the authorities still need to work at the site. We will keep you informed about when it will be possible to assemble in front of the hall. We thank you for your support, which touches us profoundly." Eagles of Death Metal issued a statement about the attacks on 18 November, expressing their horror about the attacks and their sympathy with friends and family of the victims, and thanking survivors, authorities, and French and American police. White Miles offered their condolences on that day as well, saying: "We are happy, but miserable at the same time. Happy, because we are back with our families, who help immensely to make us feel safe again; miserable, because we know that many families have to mourn following the weekend." On 8 December, nearly a month after the attacks, Eagles of Death Metal revisited the Bataclan to pay their respects to the victims. On 11 February 2016, the Bataclan management announced that the theatre would reopen later in 2016 following a renovation. The first artist scheduled to perform at the reopened club was Pete Doherty on 16 November 2016, three days after the first anniversary of the attacks; however, on 4 November 2016, the Bataclan management announced that Sting would perform an exclusive concert in Paris on 12 November 2016 for the re-opening of the Bataclan (before a maximum capacity of 1497 people including inviting a thousand members of the victims' families).


See also

*
Istanbul nightclub shooting The Istanbul nightclub shooting (also known as Reina massacre in Turkey) was a mass shooting incident on 1 January 2017 around 01:15 am local time, in which a terrorist shot and killed 39 people and wounded 79 others at the Reina nightclub in th ...
*
Terrorism in France Terrorism in France refers to the terrorist attacks that have targeted the country and its population during the 20th and 21st centuries. Terrorism, in this case is much related to the country's history, international affairs and political appr ...


References


External links

* (in French) {{Authority control Concert halls in France Music halls in Paris Theatres in Paris Buildings and structures in the 11th arrondissement of Paris Monuments historiques of Paris November 2015 Paris attacks Theatres completed in 1864 1864 establishments in France Music venues in France