Now, that a few days have passed since the opening of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris and the shock has simmered down a bit, I wanted to share my thoughts about Gojira’s presentation.
The Band
Gojira is a French metal band, formed in 1996. Their style mixes progressive and technical death metal to be the sound of their philosophical and environmentally themed lyrics.
Band members
- Joe Duplantier − vocals, rhythm guitar
- Mario Duplantier − drums
- Christian Andreu − lead guitar
- Jean-Michel Labadie − bass
Paris 2024
Gojira is the first metal band to perform at an Olympic opening ceremony. This event occurred in France during the 2024 Olympics, on July 26, 2024.
They performed at the Conciergerie (a former courthouse and prison in Paris) on the bank of the Seine. The show included a decapitated Marie Antoinette and the song they played was Ah! Ça Ira!, from the French Revolution’s time.
This was a great opportunity for them, to broaden their audiences (to a public that’s not usually theirs) and to spread their message along with their music. Generally, the people who watch the Olympics, especially the opening, are families or traditional people. That’s why Gojira’s presentation and in general the whole opening was very shocking to them, because this event, in particular, was very disruptive (showing France’s story, art, and philosophy in a very in-your-face way), which did not sit well with everyone, including members of some religious groups.
Metal music is typically being outcasted and looked down upon, so the fact that millions of people around the world got to experience a bit of, it was simply a magical moment.
Some people called Gojira’s presentation satanic, but Joe Duplantier said it was about France’s story. For him, the song conveys hope, that better times are coming, and that we all can put our best to achieve that. The revolution is individual.
Even though I’m not the biggest Gojira fan and don’t know their entire discography, I think they are outstanding musicians. I admire their commitment to various social justice causes like environmentalism, human rights, and animal rights activism.
It was also surprising, for me, that the Olympic committee organization chose them (being a metal band) and even more that even among all the rock and metal bands that exist they aren’t very well known or popular (a fact that changed the opening day, of course). Yet, the choice was well deserved and Gojira confirmed it with the amazing show they did. Super badass!