Queens of the Stone Age bestowed a stunning clip from their Alive in the Catacombscinematic and musical opus last night (July 10) on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live!, treating a national television audience to utterly unique performance footage of the songs “Running Joke” and “Paper Machete.
Filmed and recorded in July 2024, Queens of the Stone Age: Alive in the Catacombs captures QOTSA as you’ve never seen or heard them before. This once-in-a-lifetime experience features a carefully selected setlist spanning the QOTSA catalog, each song chosen specifically and epically reimagined in deference to the Catacombs. The result is an unprecedented incarnation of QOTSA at their most intimate, yet surrounded by literally millions of human remains—“the biggest audience we’ve ever played for,” says Joshua Homme.
The Catacombs of Paris is a sprawling 320km (200 miles) ossuary beneath the surface of Paris. With a foundation of several million bodies buried in the 1700s, skeletal remains are largely exposed, with much of the walls built of skulls and bones. Homme had dreamt of staging a QOTSA performance there since his first visit nearly 20 years ago. The city of Paris, however, had never granted permission to any artist to play within the sacred tunnels. QOTSA, being law-abiding citizens, waited until their vision was sanctioned.
The film version of Alive in the Catacombs is available for rent or purchase by clicking here, while the audio is available on all streaming services.
QOTSA will present the Catacombs material in front of audiences for the first time this fall on The Catacombs Tour — a limited series of very special one-night-only evenings at a curated selection of North America’s most historic theaters. Powered by all-new arrangements crafted specifically for the occasion, The Catacombs Tour will see QOTSA draw upon the spirit of those sublime subterranean renditions and infuse it into reimagined versions that promise to twist the volume knob in both directions. Enhanced by assembled ensembles, the end result will be a precious few unique and intimate performances unlike any previous QOTSA tour.
Limited tickets for the North American tour are available now and appropriate dress is encouraged — you’ll want to look as good as the music is going to sound on this very special evening at the theater. Visit qotsa.com for more information and see below for a full list of shows.
10/02/25 – Chicago,IL – Chicago Theatre *SOLD OUT*
10/03/25 – Detroit, MI – Fox Theatre
10/05/25 – Toronto, ON – Massey Hall *SOLD OUT*
10/07/25 – Philadelphia, PA – The Met *SOLD OUT*
10/08/25 – Boston, MA – Wang Theatre – Boch Center *SOLD OUT*
10/10/25 – New York, NY – Beacon Theatre *SOLD OUT*
11/08/25 – Santa Barbara, CA – Arlington Theatre *SOLD OUT*
11/10/25 – San Francisco, CA – Davies Symphony Hall *SOLD OUT*
11/11/25 – Los Angeles, CA – Dolby Theater *SOLD OUT*
11/19/25 – Austin, TX – Bass Concert Hall *SOLD OUT*
11/21/25 – New Orleans, LA – Saenger Theatre *SOLD OUT*
