(HoundsTV – Toronto) The NXNE music and film festival kicked off across Toronto on Wednesday at various opening night venues. HoundsTV decided to take in the Virgin Mobile Opening Night at The Phoenix with the great band Eagles Of Death Metal headlining.

Frontman Jesse Hughes was in top spirits even though the band had suffered a personal crisis this week. EODM bassist Brian O’Connor had been diagnosed with cancer, and was undergoing surgery in Los Angles the same day as the NXNE gig. Dean Fertita from Dead Weather is filling in for O’Connor on the remaining Eagles tour dates.

“The Pigeons Of Shit Metal” – Axl Rose

HoundsTV was reminded of a great rock n’ roll tattoo story at The Phoenix and it involved EODM’s Jesse Hughes and Guns N’ Roses frontman Axl Rose. Eagles Of Death Metal were offered the opening slot on Guns N’ Roses brief 2006 World Tour. It seems, EODM were not well received in their first show opening for Gn’R – a large portion of the audience actually booed them. Maybe with a band name that ends in “Death Metal,” the Guns crowd was expecting something different (EODM are not a death-metal band, they are just a great hard rockin’ band formed in the nineties with Josh Homme of Queens of the Stone Age / Them Crooked Vultures.)

Not happy hearing his audience was booing, Axl Rose takes the stage for his Gn’R set and asks, “so what did you all think of The Pigeons of Shit Metal.” ?

Eagles Of Death Metal would not play another show opening for Guns N’ Roses again. The bands would also exchange some not-so-nice words with each other. But Jesse Hughes eventually showed how he felt about the Axl slight when he had a “Pigeons Of Shit Metal” tattoo added to his left arm.

Jesse Hughes “Pigeons Of Shit Metal” tattoo
Bassist Dean Fertita from Dead Weather filled in at NXNE show.
Eagles Of Death Metal crowd at NXNE Virgin Mobile opening night.