The Strokes returned to The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY last night, performing a last minute warm-up show in advance of their headlining performance at Governors Ball this Friday. The reclusive New York rockers boasted an impressive light show that left them silhouetted for the majority of the performance. While they spent most of the night in the shadows, The Strokes were showered with love from their rabid fans from the moment they took the stage, and they returned the favor with a wild, varied setlist that featured several bust outs and the live debut of all three songs from their new Future Present Past EP.
The Strokes began the show with a combo of songs from their debut record Is This It, opening with a thumping “The Modern Age” and following that up with the first “Soma” since 2010. After a quick run through “Threat of Joy” from the new EP, the band returned to older material with “What Ever Happened?” from Room on Fire, followed by the increasingly rare “Under Cover of Darkness” from their comeback record, Angles. Next up were three impressive bust outs in a row, as “Alone, Together” from Is This It and “Ask Me Anything” from First Impressions of Earth were both trotted out for the first time since 2011. In between those two tracks was the biggest bust out of the night, playing First Impressions of Earth‘s “Electricityscape” for the first time since 2006.
After so many bust outs, the band brought the crowd back to earth with another debut from Future Present Past, this time “Oblivius”. The Strokes then turned in a great rendition of their classic Is this It track “Someday”, with “You’re So Right” from Angles following it up. After a raucous run through “Juicebox” from First Impressions of Earth, the band gave the crowd even more bust outs, playing “Evening Sun” from First Impressions for the first time since 2010, and “Trying Your Luck” from Is This It for the first time since 2011. They sandwiched these rarities with their third and final song from the new EP, “Drag Queen”. Finally, they brought things to a close with the energetic Room on Fire track “Reptilia”, after which they left the stage and did not return for an encore.
After such an exciting night, it was a surprise to look back at the setlist and see that it lacked many of The Strokes go-to live favorites, such as “Take it or Leave it”, “Last Night”, “New York City Cops”, “12:51”, “Is This It”, “Hard To Explain” and “Machu Picchu”. One can only imagine what’s in store when The Strokes take the stage to headline their hometown Governor’s Ball this Friday, locked and loaded with a set full of classics on deck.
Check out some videos from the show, courtesy of Megan S/YouTube!
Check out the full setlist below.