People leave the Bataclan concert hall in Paris, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016. A concert by British pop legend Sting is marking the reopening of the Paris’ Bataclan concert hall one year after suicidal jihadis turned it into a bloodbath and killed 90 revelers. The coordinated attacks in Paris on Nov. 13 last year that also targeted bars, restaurants and the sports stadium, leaving 130 people dead.
(AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu)
AP Photo/Kamil Zihnioglu
In this Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016 photo provided by Universal Music France, British musician Sting, center, performs on stage at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris, France, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016. A concert by British pop legend Sting is marking the reopening of the Paris’ Bataclan concert hall one year after suicidal jihadis turned it into a bloodbath and killed 90 revelers.
(Boris Allin/Universal Music France via AP)
Boris Allin/Universal Music France via AP
British musician Sting performs on stage at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris, France, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016. A concert by British pop legend Sting is marking the reopening of the Paris’ Bataclan concert hall one year after suicidal jihadis turned it into a bloodbath and killed 90 revelers.
(AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
AP Photo/Christophe Ena
In this Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016 photo provided by Universal Music France, British musician Sting performs on stage at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris, France, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016. A concert by British pop legend Sting is marking the reopening of the Paris’ Bataclan concert hall one year after suicidal jihadis turned it into a bloodbath and killed 90 revelers. T
(Boris Allin/Universal Music France via AP)
Boris Allin/Universal Music France via AP
In this Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016 photo provided by Universal Music France, British musician Sting performs on stage at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris, France, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016. A concert by British pop legend Sting is marking the reopening of the Paris’ Bataclan concert hall one year after suicidal jihadis turned it into a bloodbath and killed 90 revelers.
(David Wolff Patrick/Universal Music France via AP)
David Wolff Patrick/Universal Music France via AP
In this Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016 photo provided by Universal Music France, British musician Sting performs on stage at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris, France, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016. A concert by British pop legend Sting is marking the reopening of the Paris’ Bataclan concert hall one year after suicidal jihadis turned it into a bloodbath and killed 90 revelers.
(Boris Allin/Universal Music France via AP)
Boris Allin/Universal Music France via AP
In this Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016 photo provided by Universal Music France, British musician Sting performs on stage at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris, France, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016. A concert by British pop legend Sting is marking the reopening of the Paris’ Bataclan concert hall one year after suicidal jihadis turned it into a bloodbath and killed 90 revelers.
(Boris Allin/Universal Music France via AP)
Boris Allin/Universal Music France via AP
In this Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016 photo provided by Universal Music France, British musician Sting performs on stage at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris, France, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016. A concert by British pop legend Sting is marking the reopening of the Paris’ Bataclan concert hall one year after suicidal jihadis turned it into a bloodbath and killed 90 revelers.
(Boris Allin/Universal Music France via AP)
Boris Allin/Universal Music France via AP
People are queuing outside the Bataclan concert hall in Paris, France, as they wait to attend a concert by Sting, Saturday, Nov. 12, 2016. A concert by British pop legend Sting is marking the reopening of the Paris’ Bataclan concert hall one year after suicidal jihadis turned it into a bloodbath and killed 90 revelers. The coordinated attacks in Paris on Nov. 13 last year that also targeted bars, restaurants and the sports stadium, leaving 130 people dead.
(AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
WASHINGTON — British pop star Sting performed at the reopening of the Bataclan concert hall in Paris, a year after an attack that killed at least 130 people.
The Bataclan said all 1,000 Sting tickets had sold out quickly, while other tickets were given to the families of those slain.
Sting, in a T-shirt with a guitar slung over his shoulder, asked concertgoers in fluent French to observe a minute of silence as he opened the show.
“We’ve got two important things to do tonight,” the singer said. “First, to remember and honor those who lost their lives in the attacks a year ago … and to celebrate the life and the music of this historic venue. … We shall not forget them.”
He then strummed out a string of hits, including “Fragile” and “Message in a Bottle.”
Last year on Nov. 13, extremists with automatic weapons and explosive belts launched coordinated attacks on bars, restaurants and the sports stadium in Paris. At least 130 were killed, and hundreds more were injured.
Aurelien Perrin, 25, a survivor of the Bataclan massacre who attended the concert, said, “I’m here because it’s important to finally finish a concert that was never allowed to end. It’s for the memory of my friend and for all the 90 people who died.”
