After Paris attack, band gets back on the tiger

TORONTO — Six months after terrorists stormed an Eagles of Death Metal show at Le Bataclan theatre in Paris, killing 90 people, the California band wrapped up the Canadian leg of its tour on the weekend with the launch of a new beer.

Manantler, a craft brewery an hour east of Toronto, created the beer to help the victims of the attacks. Boots Electric India Pale Ale premiered last week, in time for the band’s shows in Hamilton and Toronto, and quickly sold out.

“We’re going to brew it again,” said Chris Allott, co-owner of the Bowmanville, Ont., brewery.

A dollar from each bottle goes to the band’s charity. Allott is not yet sure how much was raised but said another batch would be ready in three weeks.

The Nov. 13 attacks in Paris hit home for Allott, a drummer, and Manantler co-owner James Gorry, a former member of the acoustic band The Stone Sparrows. Both are regularly at concerts and music festivals.

When Eagles of Death Metal appealed for help for the victims, Manantler teamed up with the band to craft an IPA named after frontman Jesse Hughes, whose nickname is Boots Electric. The label shows Hughes riding a tiger rodeo-style.

The band was playing “Kiss the Devil” to a packed house in Paris when the shooting started. Three members of an ISIL support network were firing into the crowd. The band got outside but their merchandise manager, Nick Alexander, didn’t make it.

Hughes, who formed the band in 1998 in California with best friend Josh Homme, quickly embraced Salman Rushdie’s motto on the response to terrorism: “Don’t be terrorized.” The band returned to the stage within three weeks and hasn’t stopped.