Written by Kamila Cudzich
Known to many as the band behind their early 2000s hit “Last Nite” or, more recently, “The Adults Are Talking,” The Strokes boast a discography full of layers waiting to be uncovered. Hopefully, that depth came to light for the crowd at ACL as lead singer Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikolai Fraiture, and drummer Fabrizio (Fab) Moretti took to the stage.
The Strokes’ last major tour saw them joining the Red Hot Chili Peppers on select dates of the Unlimited Love world tour in 2022 and 2023. Since then, the band has limited their live appearances to a handful of shows and festival slots, a shift that likely reflects the members growing focus on their individual projects. Frontman Julian Casablancas continues to place most of his creative energy into his experimental project The Voidz, which has remained highly active in recent years. Guitarist Nick Valensi fronts his own band, CRX, while drummer Fabrizio Moretti explores his own experimental territory with his project Machinegum.
Given these pursuits, The Strokes’ recent performance in El Paso and their announcement headlining sets across both weekends of Austin City Limits carry a rare significance. For many fans, the opportunity to see all five members share the stage was extremely surreal, likely explaining why tickets to ACL disappeared almost as quickly as the lineup was announced.
Personally, I’ve seen their performance at ACL receive incredibly mixed reviews. There’s a clear divide between fans like myself who know not to expect a perfectly rehearsed, conventional concert experience when seeing The Strokes live, and audience members who were anticipating a much more polished show. For longtime fans, the appeal lies in watching the band collaborate in real time, more often than not deviating from the original sound of their recorded tracks in favor of a more spontaneous, experimental energy with Julian’s nonsensical rants being a longtime fan favorite element. However, it is extremely clear that those expecting studio level precision walked away disappointed.
As the sun finished setting after Pierce the Veil’s set on the T-Mobile stage, the white display lights dimmed, giving way to bright blue neon that bathed the crowd in a cool glow. The Strokes held off for a few minutes before appearing, letting the anticipation build to an extreme within the crowd. When they finally took the stage, they dove straight into the familiar opening riff of “What Ever Happened?,” one of the more underrated tracks from their 2003 album Room on Fire. From there, they rolled into “Bad Decisions” from The New Abnormal, before launching into the crowd favorite “Reptilia.”
While each of these songs is recognized in its own light, they’re not necessarily the first that come to mind when most people think of The Strokes’ main discography (apart from “Reptilia”), a detail I personally appreciated. The setlist felt deliberate, showcasing a balance between nostalgia and experimentation. After a few songs, frontman Julian Casablancas broke his usual cool detachment to address the crowd with one of his signature offbeat remarks, “What happens in Austin stays in Austin… Austin tap water; drink it up.”.
They then played “Under Control,” “Hard to Explain,” and “You Only Live Once,” each executed with remarkable precision and energy. The atmosphere in the crowd was electric, especially near the front, where I was fortunate enough to secure a spot. I can’t remember the last time I attended a concert where every single person around me knew all the lyrics to every song being performed and I believe that shared connection elevated the experience, as both the energy of the band and the crowd fed off one another. The set continued with a stunning rendition of “Under Cover of Darkness,” during which Albert Hammond Jr. took some creative liberties with the guitar solo, adding even more weight to a solo which already holds so much importance within itself.
After delivering a standout performance of “Juicebox,” Julian returned to the mic, and the crowd’s chant of “Ode to the Mets” began to swell. I couldn’t help but laugh, recalling the late 2022 concert when Julian altered the song’s ending to instead say “This is the last time I will sing this song because I am sorry but I think I f—ing hate it more than you will ever know or dream of.” True to that moment, he hadn’t performed it at any shows leading up to this one.
After sharing a few jokes with Fab on drums, Julian pivoted, saying, “ By popular request of last week’s crowd…” and signaled Albert to start playing the introduction to “Ode to the Mets.” I had heard whispers that it had been played during soundcheck earlier that day, but I refused to believe it would actually make the setlist. Experiencing it live turned this concert into one of the most unforgettable nights of my life. “Ode to the Mets” is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful ballads ever written and holds a profoundly special place in the hearts of many fans, myself included.
Following that, they launched into “The Modern Age,” “Someday,” “Automatic Stop,” and, of course, “The Adults Are Talking.” This portion of the set was extremely fun to experience live, especially as the Texas heat finally began to ease and the evening air cooled around the crowd. Julian did a fantastic job maintaining the rhythm through the song’s ending, and hearing the iconic moments where the guitars “argue” with each other was even more incredible in person, showcasing the band’s chemistry in a way studio recordings just can’t manage to capture.
The band then stepped off the stage, and, as expected, the crowd erupted in chants for an encore. They returned to play “Last Nite,” which I had anticipated, to be completely honest. What I didn’t see coming was Julian grabbing the mic and joking that, since the crowd only chanted for “one more song,” he wouldn’t play the other two he had planned for the encore. The guitars then launched into the iconic introduction of “Welcome to Japan,” and the full song was delivered with its signature intensity. After a brief intermission, Julian teased the crowd about what song they wanted next, with a tune listed as “One Way Jam” on the setlist playing in the background, hinting at the rarely performed “One Way Trigger” from Comedown Machine. Instead, they closed the night with “Take It or Leave It,” an incredibly high energy finale that perfectly capped off the unforgettable set.
I truly believe that every genuine Strokes fan had to have left the festival beaming. The band’s mood was high, the setlist was phenomenal, the audience interaction was so genuine, and the energy of the crowd was electric. I had fully prepared myself for a potentially mediocre performance, knowing that the members (especially Julian) often reserve their full energy for smaller shows or individual side projects. Even if that had been the case, it would have been entirely in keeping with the band’s ethos. Yet, to my surprise, the performance far exceeded any expectations. I was completely blown away, and I honestly can’t imagine any live show topping the one I was fortunate enough to witness that night.