The Strokes - New York MSG Studio Theatre - 30/10/03
4/5
By: Joshua K
Set-List: 'What Ever Happened?', 'Alone, Together', 'Under Control', 'Hard To Explain', 'Between Love & Hate', 'Reptilia', 'Someday', 'The End Has No End', 'The Modern Age', '12:51', 'New York City Cops', 'Soma', 'Last Nite', 'Automatic Stop', 'I Can't Win', 'Take It Or Leave It', 'Modern Girls'.
Has it really been that long? Yes. The Strokes have been absent from New York's stages for almost a year, yet the anticipation among the city's rock fans for their return makes it feel even longer... Good things come to those who..., quite.
We settle in upfront, chat briefly with producer/rockfeedback cohort Gordon Raphael, enjoy a well-received (and all too brief) piano-pop set from Regina Spektor, and scratch our beards to Kings of Leon. Then, at 10pm sharp, the lights go out in The Theatre - which wouldn't look out of place in an Atlantic City casino - as Julian Casablancas, recognizing the venue's tacky feel, greets us with a 'Hello, Vegas, it's good to be back,' and launches into 'Room On Fire' opener 'What Ever Happened?'
And whoa - most immediately noticeable is both the hungry, unrelenting enthusiasm of the crowd, who cause the very floor to shake, and the sharp-edged, note-perfect performing machine that The Strokes have become. As the evening progresses we also learn just how complementary the band's two LPs are, the intermingled eight tracks from each record adding up to one unified-sounding whole.
An important point: 'note-perfect' should in no way read 'boring'. Far from it, with Julian belying his laconic nature by hurling mic-stands and enthusiastically diving into the crowd. He even sings a snippet of Sinatra's 'My Way' in Japanese. See also Fab's crisp drumming during 'The End Has No End', the killer transition from 'The Modern Age' into current single '12:51', the clean keyboard-aping guitar lines of said song, the bristling energy they still marshal for 'New York City Cops'... and about a million other moments.
Admittedly, the gig probably should've ended with classic closer 'Take It Or Leave It', which would've sent us into the New York night sweaty and content. Yet when Regina Spektor is brought out to duet on new track 'Modern Girls' - a mid-paced Strokes rocker, to these ears resembling 'The Modern Age' with trebly boy/girl vox, before ending remarkably like Franz Ferdinand's 'Darts of Pleasure' - we still give 'em credit for trying something new. Not to mention entertaining us non-stop for the past hour.
Welcome back, boys, and - indeed - welcome home. For there's always a home for you here.
Artists in this article: The Strokes
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