Eagles of Death Metal / Union Transfer / Philadelphia / 8.14.2026
Updated: Aug 28
Eagles of Death Metal put out Death by Sexy twenty years ago, and they put together a tour to celebrate the anniversary. I caught the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, stop, and here’s the 5.
Jesse Hughes remains a great time.
Despite not having a proper North American tour in nearly 10 years, Boots Electric is still…electric. Jesse Hughes’ performance always makes you feel like he gives a damn. About the music, about the crowd, and, more specifically, about you. There’s an infectious energy to the guy that makes an Eagles of Death Metal show feel like a party you were personally invited to.
Hey, there’s Scott Shiflett.
I had no idea Scott Shiflett joined the band in 2023. And while it was a little disappointing not to see Dave Catching up there, seeing Scott’s work with Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, he’s a damn good fit for Eagles. The entire new band - Leah Bluestien on drums, Dustin Douglas on bass, Eric Epple on keys, and Hughes’ wife, Phoenix, rounding things out - was incredibly tight. The call-and-response that closed the show really drove that home. Jesse was up on the balcony throwing out guitar licks while the band answered back from the stage. It was a great little moment that showcased the connection between the band and the crowd.
The deep cuts hit different.
It was a great treat to hear some of the deeper cuts from Death by Sexy. I went to several shows on the original tour 20 years ago, and while all the singles you’d expect got played, very few of the deeper songs made it into the set, even back then. That’s one of the great benefits of these full-album anniversary tours: you finally get to hear songs that may have rarely, if ever, been played live.
The crowd was primed for a good time.
With Baby Duck (Josh Homme) and Queens of the Stone Age having been in Philadelphia the night before, you knew a good portion of this crowd was going to show up wearing QOTSA shirts. What I wasn’t sure about was how big the crowd would actually be. It’s been quite some time since Eagles of Death Metal released an album or made their way to this side of the country for a tour. I was pleasantly surprised to see the place absolutely packed, and everyone was there for a good time.
The Devil can still dance.
I feel like this tour represents a return of the band in a lot of ways. It’s not like Eagles of Death Metal were ever totally gone, but they haven’t been represented by large-scale touring or a new release in quite some time. I think any band has to wonder what happens when you take too much time off. Is the audience still there? Judging by this show (and the reports coming from across the country) the answer seems to be a pretty emphatic yes. There’s still a demand for Eagles of Death Metal. A demand to boogie.
So what’s next? A new album? More touring? The Devil is hopefully working out the details.
