The Strokes Return to Coachella After 15 Years

The Strokes played Coachella on Saturday, their first appearance at the festival in fifteen years. Their 15-song set leaned heavily on early material from “Is This It” and “Room On Fire,” delivered with the tight, practiced chemistry of a band that has settled into its legacy.

Frontman Julian Casablancas shaped the performance with his off-the-cuff commentary. He wore a t-shirt reading “Crime” with the Amazon Prime logo and made a pointed remark against the Trump administration’s move toward an automatic military draft registration.

Between songs, his banter took a lighter, self-deprecating turn. He joked that the band was fulfilling a lifelong dream of opening for Justin Bieber, who headlines the following weekend. Casablancas also lamented the schedule conflict that meant missing PinkPantheress’s set. The return positioned the New York band not as nostalgic revivalists, but as established figures still capable of framing their music within a specific, wry point of view.