The Strokes @ Columbiahalle in Berlin
After a long absence, last Friday The Strokes returned to Berlin precisely to play on Valentine’s Day in what I decided to think it had been a nod to a city overturned with the music, and to which they should have returned much earlier.
With The Strokes everything is uncertain. It's been like this since 20 years ago they appeared with an unusual force in the music scene. Musically speaking they have never really innovated but back at the beginning of the century, with a new generation avid of indie-rock and new icons, The Strokes occupied a throne with their garage sound and apathetic attitude, probably without deserving it though.
It's been two decades of a somewhat erratic career, with solo projects of the different members, parallel bands and serious drug and alcohol problems, which sometimes made it difficult to know if they were still together or not. But when everything led us to think that The Strokes were history, they always reappeared. Perhaps that is precisely what fuels their marketing strategy that certainly seems to work if we see the enormous expectation that these guys already in their forties continue to awaken.
Despite everything, I very much like The Strokes, I always did. And whenever I have seen them these years, it has been by surprise in shows announced just a few days before. Perhaps because of that, surpassed by the enthusiasm, I always celebrated it with too much impetus (to be understood as to overdo with previous beers). Each concert ended up being a party (in contrast to their always serious and languid attitude on stage) with its consequent hangover and blurry memories. I want to think that I am not the only one here.
Last Friday, an excited and packed crowd in Columbiahalle looked forward to Strokes first show of the short European gig. With them, it is certainly not easy to predict what will happen on stage, and often their live shows do not live up to their expectations (as I´m afraid it also happens with their music), however this time they were preceded by good reviews in their last shows. There was hope. In Berlin they played for a bit less than an hour and a half. Less than what they should have, but to be honest more than what I expected. I had a lot of fun though.
The New York based 5 piece band played two new promising songs ('Bad Decisions' and 'The Adults Are Talking'), from the upcoming album (April 10th) 'The New Abnormal' but they did not play the new song 'At The Door', released shortly before the concert. And of course they did not forget to play the songs from their back and famous catalog, including 'Hard To Explain', 'Heart In A Cage', 'NewYork City Cops' or 'Last Nite'. Precisely with this last one, Julian Casablancas went down the stage to sing among the audience, causing hysteria among the people in the first rows. They finished the show with a three song encore (‘Juicebox’, ‘What Ever Happened?’ And ‘Someday’).
If The Strokes mean something to you, it's difficult not to enjoy their concerts. Their songs are already hymns of a generation. The problem is that with The Strokes, I always get the feeling they are doing us all a favor by performing. Like they´re always making a great effort.
And I doubt whether one day they will end up paying for that arrogant attitude. Nevertheless, up until now clearly that day has not come yet. And truth to be told, they have always shown themselves like that, we were the ones who bought it. Having said this, some flashes can be intuited that encourage us to think that perhaps now, The Strokes have finally matured, and we can once for all start taking them seriously. Time will tell. In any case, it is good news that they´re gonna be headlining Summer festivals this year. I will certainly appreciate it, especially when some festivals are these days revealing somewhat eclectic lineups.
Find all tour dates visiting The Strokes website.
The Strokes setlist of their concert at Columbiahalle in Berlin on February 14th, 2020
Heart In A Cage
You Only Live Once
New York City Cops
The Adults Are Talking
The Modern Age
Hard To Explain
Ize Of The World
Automatic Stop
Reptilia
Killing Lies
One Way Trigger
Bad Decisions
Last Nite
Juicebox (encore)
What Ever Happened? (encore)
Someday (encore)
Cover photograph by The Strokes
