Eagles of Death Metal
Support: Billy McNicol
Teragram Ballroom – Los Angeles, CA
Thursday, October 30th, 2025
Review/Pics: Manuel Gay
One venue. One band. Four shows. Four albums — one full record per night.
That was the premise of Eagles of Death Metal’s Teragram Ballroom residency, and on October 30th, the band completed the run with a Halloween-themed blowout, performing their 2015 album Zipper Down from top to bottom. I was lucky enough to attend this final evening — a night that will absolutely go down in EODM history.
Billy McNicol Ignites the Crowd
The evening kicked off with an explosive set by Billy McNicol, joined by guitarist Bhargav Choudhury and bassist C.J. Wilson. I had never heard of McNicol before, but it took less than a minute to realize we were witnessing something special.
Billy delivered a deep, infectious groove from behind the drums while doubling as the lead vocalist, and Bhargav unleashed Hendrix-level guitar work that dropped jaws across the room. C.J., meanwhile, played a 7-string bass with more confidence and mastery than most manage on four strings.
Their sound defied any genre — weaving effortlessly between funk, jazz, hard rock, Rage Against The Machine-style riffs, Alice in Chains-like harmonies, into jazzy sounding pure funk, reminiscent of RHCP grooves. The audience ate it up. By the end of their set, the entire room was bouncing.
Eagles of Death Metal: A Halloween Mass of Rock’n’Roll
Then came Jesse “Boots Electric” Hughes and Eagles of Death Metal, turning the Teragram Ballroom into a cathedral of life, love, and rock’n’roll — almost exactly ten years after the tragic Bataclan attack in Paris. On this night, the band dressed in military-style costumes, which Jesse or “Father Badass” described as “soldiers in the army of rock’n’roll.”
From the moment they launched into “I Want You So Hard (Boy’s Bad News)”, the crowd couldn’t stop themselves dancing if they wanted to. Jesse worked the crowd like only he can. He offered plenty of fist-bumps, hugs, jokes and winks: A completed blend of preacher, comic, and rockstar in one magnetic force.
The band then dove into Zipper Down front to back, only skipping “The Reverend.”
Drummer Leah Bluestein crushed the more aggressive tracks like “Got A Woman“, shaking her kit to the edge of collapse. Jesse joked about forgetting lyrics (“If I keep singing the same words over and over, it’s just that I don’t remember the fucking lyrics!”), prompting someone to hand him a phone for reference. It only fueled the fun with the crowd often taking the lead on vocals. His intros to most songs either involved a joke or a heartfelt love declaration to the audience followed by “that’s why I wrote this song”.
Bataclan Theater Rememberance
When Jesse addressed the upcoming anniversary of the November 13th, 2015 Paris attack, the room fell into a rare moment of quiet. He shared that the reason he was still able to get on-stage was thanks to the fans. You hear this kind of statement once in a while from bands, but this time, like everything about Jesse, it was genuine.
You could feel the love, you could feel the emotion. Maybe it was because those attacks touched me on a personal level (yours truly is a Frenchie indeed), but you could tell from everyone’s facial expression that they felt it too.
The Zipper Down segment ended with their timeless Duran Duran “Save A Prayer” cover. A moment that turned the ballroom into a unified choir.
A Hit-Filled Finale That Tore the Roof Off
After the album playthrough, EODM flipped the switch into a full-throttle house party by cranking out the hits. From the opening notes of “I Only Want You”, the Teragram Ballroom felt like a gathering with your closest friends. Jesse repeatedly checked in on his “Mama” seated in the VIP balcony before jumping off the stage, pushing through the crowd, and performing a song right beside her.
This led to an unforgettable balcony-to-stage guitar duel between Jesse and Scott Shiflett, showcasing Shiflett’s insane chops on the axe.
Back onstage, the band blasted through an extended “Speaking in Tongues” as giant inflatable tube men waved wildly from each side. Pure Halloween chaos in the best possible way.
Costumes!
The night ended with a costumed, all-star line-up keeping the Halloween spirit alive. The band is next set to appear in Portland, OR, for a New Year’s Eve show that should mark the return of Jennie Vee on bass (who was subbed out this evening).
Eagles Of Death Metal always put on a great show that feels more like spending time with family. If the party comes to your town, don’t miss it!
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Recent Reviews from Manuel:
Supergrass – Hollywood Palladium – 9/5/25
Everclear – The Regent – 9/4/25
Volbeat/Halestorm – The Kia Forum 7/25
