British music legend Sting performed an emotion-charged concert on Saturday night in Paris to mark the reopening of the Bataclan theatre, a year after Islamic terrorists killed 90 revellers with automatic weapons and explosive belts.

And while Sting preached remembrance, forgiveness and the celebration of life, Bataclan management were unforgiving of US band The Eagles of Death Metal, who performed at the concert hall the night of the attack.

Coordinated attacks in Paris on November 13, 2015, that also targeted bars, restaurants and a sports stadium, left 130 people dead and hundreds more injured in what was the worst extremist violence ever to hit France.

The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attacks.

A sell-out crowd packed into the Bataclan as Sting opened the performance with a minute’s silence, telling the crowd: “We will not forget them.”

“Tonight we have two tasks to achieve: first to remember those who lost their lives in the attack, and then to celebrate life and music in this historic place,” he said.

More than 1700 people have been officially recognised as victims of the attack at the Bataclan, Paris cafes and France’s national stadium.

The families of those who died in the Bataclan were given tickets by concert organisers.

Many concert-goers said they wanted to show terrorists that they had achieved nothing with the attacks.

French security turned out in force ahead of the concert, and hundreds of yards of barricades, extensive body searches and scores of armed police greeted those lining up to enter.

Security was heavy outside the Bataclan concert hall. Photo: ABC

Aurelien Perrin, 25, survived the Bataclan massacre but his friend Nicolas Berthier did not.

“I came alone tonight. It’s very emotional, as I keep getting flashbacks of that night. I was standing just there, just on the other side of the bar when it happened,” Mr Perrin said. “Tonight is the first time I’ve been back here since.”

Sting's opening speech and minute's silence #Bataclan #Paris pic.twitter.com/qpNSfwcR96

— Mark Thompson (@SkyNewsThompson) November 12, 2016

He said that he had not been to any bar or even the cinema since that fateful night.

“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.”

Eagles turned away

The Eagles of Death Metal were playing at the Bataclan on the night of the attack and two members of the band, including frontman Jesse Hughes, turned up to see Sting perform.

According to a report from French news agency AFP, Hughes was turned away from the concert by the venue’s co-director Jules Frutos.

“They came, I threw them out – there are things you can’t forgive,” Frutos told AFP.

Hughes has been heavily criticised for his reaction to the 2015 attacks, including an interview in which he said he saw “Muslims celebrating in the street during the attack”.

Eagles of Death Metal frontman Jesse Hughes has been shunned in France. Photo Getty

His anti-Muslim comments led to the band getting dropped from two music festivals in France.

During an interview on Fox Business News in March, Hughes insinuated that the Bataclan security was in on the attacks.

Hughes later apologised for making “unfounded and baseless” suggestions.

In a later interview he criticised France’s strict gun control policies.

“Did your French gun control stop a single f—ing person from dying at the Bataclan?” he asked.

“If anyone can answer ‘yes’, I’d like to hear it, because I don’t think so.”

Frutos said in September that the Eagles of Death Metal had not approached him to perform again at the Bataclan, but said he would have refused if they had asked.

A survivor recovers outside the ‘bloodshed’ of Bataclan theatre a year ago. Photo: Getty

“[Jesse Hughes] dared to make incredibly false declarations every two months,” Frutos said.

“A pure craziness, accusing the security staff to have been the terrorists’s accomplices… Enough. Zero. Period.”

-with agencies