SLIPKNOT co-founder and percussionist M. Shawn Crahan, also known as Clown, has shared his thoughts on GOJIRA‘s performance at last month’s Olympic Games opening ceremony.
GOJIRA delivered a surprise rendition of “Ah! Ça Ira,” a well-known song from the French Revolution, accompanied by opera singer Marina Viotti and several beheaded figures symbolizing the executed Queen Marie Antoinette.
In a new interview with Metal Hammer, Clown said about GOJIRA‘s performance: “I got goosebumps. I know this is going to sound stupid, but I’m just so proud of them. I know the word ‘proud’ probably sounds weird coming from me, but that band is so incredible, and they’re friends of ours, and Mario [Duplantier] is one of my favorite drummers in hard rock.”
“When I saw the performance, I was just proud to have them do that,” he continued. “What a huge, huge honor, what a huge performance. And what an enormous metaphor: you have all these wonderful athletes, the best of the best of the best together, and someone involved thought, ‘We should get GOJIRA to open this up…’ Like, GOJIRA are the gold medal.”
GOJIRA made history as the first metal band to ever perform at the Olympic Games during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France on July 26. Working alongside composer Victor le Manse, the quartet injected their signature heavy riffs and punishing rhythms into the French Revolution-era song “Ah! Ça ira!”. Joined by French-Swiss mezzo-soprano Marina Viotti and nearly 300 classical musicians, GOJIRA performed from the windows of Paris’ iconic Concierge amidst a grand spectacle of pyrotechnics. The performance made international headlines and was widely regarded as one of the most talked about moments from the 2024 Summer Olympics.
Speaking exclusively to Rolling Stone following the performance, GOJIRA frontman Joe Duplantier commented, “We took it as an opportunity to represent the metal scene. So it was our task to really go for it and lay it down, not just be there and play a few notes to shock people. We decided to go full-on with double-kick drums, screaming, growling, epic moments, and a tempo breakdown at the end; we really wanted to show what metal is all about.”
Next month, GOJIRA will hit the road in North America, providing direct support to KORN. The 24-city trek kicks off on September 12 in Tampa, FL, visits arenas coast-to-coast, and wraps on October 27 in St. Paul, MN. Check out the tour’s itinerary below. The band is also scheduled to appear at numerous festivals including Louisville, KY’s Louder Than Life 2024.
Tour dates are as follows:
September 12, 2024 – Tampa, FL – MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
September 14, 2024 – West Palm Beach, FL – iTHINK Financial Amphitheatre
September 16, 2024 – Alpharetta, GA – Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
September 18, 2024 – Charlotte, NC – PNC Music Pavilion
September 20, 2024 – Camden, NJ – Freedom Mortgage Pavilion
September 21, 2024 – Mansfield, MA – Xfinity Center
September 23, 2024 – Newark, NJ – Prudential Center
September 25, 2024 – Toronto, ON – Budweiser Stage
September 27, 2024 – Clarkston, MI – Pine Knob Music Theatre
September 28, 2024 – Tinley Park, IL – Credit Union 1 Amphitheatre
September 29, 2024 – Louisville, KY – Louder Than Life 2024*
October 02, 2024 – Albuquerque, NM – Isleta Amphitheater
October 03, 2024 – Phoenix, AZ – Talking Stick Resort – Amphitheatre
October 05, 2024 – Los Angeles, CA – BMO Stadium
October 06, 2024 – Mountain View, CA – Shoreline Amphitheatre
October 08, 2024 – Portland, OR – Moda Center
October 10, 2024 – Tacoma, WA – Tacoma Dome
October 12, 2024 – Nampa, ID – Ford Idaho Center – Amphitheater
October 13, 2024 – Salt Lake City, UT – Delta Center
October 18, 2024 – Kansas City, MO – T-Mobile Center
October 20, 2024 – The Woodlands, TX – The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
October 21, 2024 – San Antonio, TX – Frost Bank Center
October 23, 2024 – Tulsa, OK – BOK Center
October 25, 2024 – Omaha, NE – Chi Health Center
October 27, 2024 – St. Paul, MN – Xcel Energy Center
July 30-August 03, 2025 – Wacken, DE – Rockstadt Extreme Fest 2025*
August 06-09, 2025 – Jaroměř, CZ Republic – Brutal Assault 2025*
August 07-10, 2025 – Walton on Trent, UK – Bloodstock Open Air 2025*
August 13-16, 2025 – Dinkelsbühl, DE – Summer Breeze Open Air 2025*
August 14-16, 2025 – Sulingen, DE – Reload Festival 2025*
*Festival Appearance
Reeder, the visionary behind Metal Addicts, has transformed his lifelong passion for metal into a thriving online community for metal aficionados. As a fervent devotee of black metal, Reeder is captivated by its dark, atmospheric, and often unorthodox soundscapes.