French progressive metal titans Gojira launched their highly anticipated homecoming tour on Thursday night, delivering a performance at the Reims Arena that was historic for multiple reasons. Not only did the band unveil two long-awaited live debuts from their back catalog, but they also performed with a modified lineup due to a recent injury sustained by frontman Joe Duplantier.
The concert marked the band’s first-ever performance with Greg Kubacki, guitarist for New York mathcore unit Car Bomb, handling rhythm guitar duties. Kubacki has been recruited to fill in for Duplantier, who recently underwent surgery on his right hand and is currently unable to play his instrument.
Despite being restricted to vocal duties, Duplantier and the band used the occasion to shake up their setlist significantly. For the first time in their career, Gojira performed “Born In Winter” from the album L’Enfant Sauvage. Even more surprisingly, the band closed the night with the live debut of “Global Warming“, the emotional closer from their 2005 landmark album From Mars To Sirius. While the band famously recorded a studio live session of the track in 2018, it had never been played in a proper concert setting until now.
The night also saw the return of “Wisdom Comes” to the setlist, a technical thrasher from The Link that hasn’t been performed live since 2017.
Duplantier addressed his condition publicly just days before the tour kickoff. On November 23, he shared X-ray images of his broken hand along with a statement explaining the temporary lineup change:
“Hey! I hurt my hand a few weeks ago. 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 current French trek is scheduled to conclude on December 12 in Strasbourg.
Gojira – Reims Arena, France – November 27, 2025 Setlist
- “Only Pain”
- “The Axe”
- “Backbone”
- “Stranded”
- “The Cell”
- “Wisdom Comes” (First performance since 2017)
- “Flying Whales”
- “From The Sky”
- “Another World”
- “Silvera”
- “Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça Ira!)”
- “Born In Winter” (Live debut)
- “Born For One Thing”
- “The Chant”
- “Amazonia”
Encore:
- “L’enfant Sauvage”
- “Where Dragons Dwell” / “Ocean Planet” / “In The Wilderness” (Medley)
- “Global Warming” (Live debut)
Gojira Winter 2025 French Tour Dates
- 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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