Bataclan Survivor Reflects on Decade of Healing After Horrific Paris Attack

On November 12, 2025, Bataclan survivor Jesse Hughes will attend the main commemoration ceremony at a newly created memorial garden near Paris City Hall. It has been 10 years since the tragic events of November 13, 2015, when three Islamic State extremists attacked the Bataclan concert hall, killing 130 people.

Hughes, who was performing on stage that fateful night, says the attack was "perhaps the worst thing that ever happened" in his life. He lost faith, confidence, and sanity in the aftermath, but with the help of U2, his fans, and the resilience of the French people, he has slowly rebuilt his reality.

The 53-year-old musician describes the annual return to Paris as a somber tradition, a chance to share a camaraderie with his fellow survivors that "cannot be described." As the 10-year anniversary approaches, Hughes' emotions are "all over the place," but he considers it the "greatest honor" to be in Paris with the other "warriors from the Bataclan" to show the world that "the bad guys did not win."

The memorial ceremony will be attended by dignitaries, including French President Emmanuel Macron and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo, as well as survivors and relatives of the victims. The nation will gather to honor the memory of those lost, support their loved ones, and reaffirm its commitment to the fight against terrorism.