French metal titans Gojira will proceed with their highly anticipated homecoming tour of France this week, albeit with a significant adjustment to their stage configuration. Frontman Joseph Duplantier has announced that recent “minor surgery” on his hand will prevent him from performing guitar duties for the duration of the trek.
While Duplantier will presumably continue to lead the band vocally, the complex rhythm guitar work central to Gojira‘s sound will be handled by Greg Kubacki of the experimental mathcore outfit Car Bomb. The tour is set to launch on November 27 in Reims.
Duplantier broke the news to fans earlier yesterday (November 23), sharing X-ray images of the injury alongside a message confirming that the shows will go on.
“Hey! I hurt my hand a few weeks ago,” Duplantier wrote. “After getting minor surgery, I’m on the mend but unfortunately I won’t be able to play all my guitar parts on the next tour in France… No worries though, we hired our good friend [Greg Kubacki] of the incredible [Car Bomb] to ‘Give us a hand’. The mood in our camp is up there though, as we’re embarking for an interesting experience on our own turf. Show must go ooooon.”
The recruitment of Kubacki is a natural fit for the band. Gojira and Car Bomb share a long history of collaboration, with Duplantier having produced Car Bomb’s 2016 album Meta, and the bands touring together frequently over the last decade.
This tour caps off a historic year for Gojira. Earlier in 2025, the band secured their status as international metal ambassadors by winning the “Best Metal Performance” Grammy at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards. They took home the trophy for “Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça Ira!),” their electrifying collaboration with opera singer Marina Viotti and composer Victor Le Masne.
That track, a heavy metal reinterpretation of a French Revolution-era standard, was originally performed at the 2024 Olympic Games opening ceremony in Paris. Staged at the Conciergerie—the former prison where Marie Antoinette was held before her execution—the performance featured pyrotechnics and beheaded figures, making Gojira the first metal band to ever perform at the Olympics.
Gojira Winter 2025 French Tour Dates
- Thu, Nov 27 – Reims Arena – Reims, France
- Fri, Nov 28 – Zénith de Lille – Lille, France
- Sun, Nov 30 – Bercy Accor Arena – Paris, France
- Mon, Dec 01 – Zénith de Rouen – Rouen, France
- Tue, Dec 02 – Zénith Nantes Métropole – Saint-Herblain, France
- Thu, Dec 04 – Zénith de Toulouse – Toulouse, France
- Fri, Dec 05 – Zénith de Clermont-Ferrand – Clermont-Ferrand, France
- Sat, Dec 06 – Le Dôme – Marseille, France
- Mon, Dec 08 – Palais Nikaïa – Nice, France
- Tue, Dec 09 – Arkéa Arena – Bordeaux, France
- Wed, Dec 10 – LDLC Arena – Lyon, France
- Fri, Dec 12 – Zénith de Strasbourg – Strasbourg, France
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