By Ljiljana Maletin Vojvodić //

On the final day of one of Europe’s most significant music festivals, Rock en Seine 2025, I had the opportunity to attend not only the concerts, but also a press conference with one of the most distinctive artists of our time — Josh Homme, frontman of Queens of the Stone Age – QOTSA.

The press conference, held on August 24 at 7:15 PM — less than two hours before QOTSA’s performance — offered a rare glimpse of Homme exactly as he is: direct and open, yet clearly defined in his boundaries. He answered every question with patience and composure, avoiding no topic. Calm and collected, fully aware of his words and their weight, he spoke about musical plans, fatherhood, and his emotional connection to Paris — a particularly poignant memory, given that the 2015 Bataclan tragedy had occurred while his close friends from Eagles of Death Metal were performing. Although he wasn’t present that night — as he’s not part of their touring lineup — the event deeply affected him. To this day, that moment continues to shape his relationship with music, the stage, and the city of Paris.

He also spoke about working with artists such as Iggy Pop, and, when asked about Ozzy Osbourne’s departure from the stage, he recognized a symbolic parallel with David Bowie’s final farewell through music. For both, art served as a way to complete the circle.

A performance that closed the festival

It’s safe to say that the evening of August 24 at Rock en Seine — despite impressive sets from bands like Kneecap and Fontaines D.C. — ultimately belonged to Queens of the Stone Age, who headlined the festival’s closing night with their first performance at Rock en Seine in eleven years.

The stage was filled with powerful, almost raw energy — with minimal visual effects and a setlist that included some of the band’s biggest hits, such as: No One Knows, Little Sister, Sick, Sick, Sick, Make It Wit Chu, and Go With the Flow. Josh Homme — with his unmistakable voice, heavy riffs, sharp humor, and unhidden vulnerability — dominated the stage, whether seated at the piano, with a guitar, or gripping the microphone.

The next day: a meeting with fans in the heart of Paris

On August 25, just one day later, Homme and the band held an exclusive Q&A with fans at Fnac Forum des Halles — one of Paris’s central cultural venues. The occasion was special: the upcoming release of Alive in the Catacombs, a film and album documenting their acoustic performance in the Paris Catacombs, scheduled for release on September 26, 2025.

The Catacombs as a musical and personal ritual

On July 8, 2024, Josh Homme became the first artist ever to perform in the Catacombs — surrounded by the remains of more than six million people. It was an entirely unconventional concert: no amplifiers, no effects, performed with acoustic instruments, a string trio, and makeshift percussion. The entire set was recorded in one uninterrupted take. Homme described the project as a personal ritual, an artistic act, and a confrontation with impermanence.

“This wasn’t a concert for the audience. It was a concert for the dead. And for the truth,” Homme said previously. Shortly after the performance, he underwent a serious, pre-scheduled operation, followed by a long recovery period.

Homme: more than one band

In addition to Queens of the Stone Age, Homme is the founder and member of several influential bands, including Kyuss, Eagles of Death Metal, and Them Crooked Vultures. As a producer and collaborator, he has worked with a wide range of artists — from Lady Gaga and Iggy Pop to Mark Lanegan.

An artist, a workaholic, and a man who carries both vulnerability and strength, Homme remains one of the most authentic voices on the modern rock scene.