Eagles of Death Metal Still Know How to Make a Bang for a Sold-Out Show at Austin’s Historic Scoot Inn

Decked out in his signature red and black satin cape with a cigarette dangling from his hand, Eagles of Death Metal frontman Jesse Hughes took the stage at the Historic Scoot Inn in Austin, Texas, to wild cheers. As the Sister Sledge classic “We Are Family” blasted overhead and the rest of the band got situated, Hughes (AKA Boots Electric) riled up the crowd. His enthusiasm was infectious, and it didn’t take much to get the sold-out Friday night crowd on board.

With EoDM on tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of Death By Sexy, I was hit with a wave of nostalgia mixed with just a tad of uncertainty.

The first time I saw EoDM was back in 2004, when I photographed their set opening for The Distillers at the Fonda in Los Angeles, and I was hooked. I shot them again later that year, in October, at the legendary Spaceland in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. The show was packed to the walls. Their music was fun…and I knew they were going to be a band to watch…and shoot…as often as I could.

And I did.

But it’s been a good 15 years or so since I’ve seen them play, and their members have changed a few times since then.

Before the show, I wondered if tonight’s set would still hold the same charm for me as all those sets I documented early on. Would I miss Dave Catching and his Flying V, or Brian “B.O.C.” O’Connor and his famous big hands?

I did. But it was more from nostalgia than anything else.

I have fun memories with those guys…like getting trapped in the inner maze of back hallways at Hollywood & Highland after shooting their performance at Virgin Megastore, where we all walked aimlessly for a good 20 minutes, retracing our steps just trying to find our way OUT…and Brian saying, “Thank god I had a pot brownie!”

But the current touring lineup of Scott Shiflett on guitar, Dustin Douglas on bass, and Leah Bluestein on drums skillfully kept the EoDM vibe alive, and Boots Electric was clearly in his element.

Opening with “I Want You So Hard (Boy’s Bad News),” the band launched us into a trip down memory lane with a setlist that, of course, leaned heavily into 2006’s Death By Sexy, with a few songs from 2004’s Peace, Love, Death Metal and 2008’s Heart On sprinkled in.

Hughes did inform us that he had to “consult the oracle” in case he needed help recalling lyrics… the “oracle” being his cellphone positioned beneath his mic. Nobody would have even guessed it if he hadn’t mentioned it. But Hughes has always had a tendency to say whatever comes to mind, and that’s one of the things that makes an EoDM show so entertaining. You never really know what he’s going to come out with.

“It’s crazy what Dr Pepper can do to you if you mix it with alcohol,” he said before launching into “Cherry Cola.”

“I Like to Move in the Night” was dedicated to his dad, who passed away on this day in 1988. “Solid Gold” and “Don’t Speak (I Came to Make a Bang!)” got the audience riled up before the pace came back down for a few songs, then “I Only Want You” and “Anything ’Cept the Truth” kicked things right back up again.

Their cover of Bowie’s “Heroes” fit surprisingly well into the set, before “Speaking in Tongues” took Hughes off the stage entirely. A path was made along the side of the venue, and he made his way into the center of the crowd to play, surrounded by fans, before heading back to the stage to finish up.

The night ended on a high with a cover of Motörhead’s “Ace of Spades.”

Check out the Eagles of Death Metal concert photos below:

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As I walked the three blocks back to my new home in Austin, that pesky nostalgia came rearing back again.

It reminded me of all the times I walked home after shooting EoDM – and countless others – at various Los Angeles clubs along the Sunset Strip. Those nights are some of my best memories.

And it makes me incredibly happy that after all these years, I’m still me. I’m still doing what I love. And so are they 🤘.

Catch EAGLES OF DEATH METAL on the Road…