The Strokes at Hammerstein, 3/3/06

It’s been about a year and a half since the Strokes played a show in their hometown, and a lot has changed since then. Several members of the band are married and there are even a few babies in the picture. Julian stopped drinking, the band shed long-time producer Gordan Raphael (of Unisex Salon fame), and released their third LP, First Impressions of Earth, an effort which, for better or worse, went in several directions other than the one most people expected.

By the time openers Eagles of Death Metal took the stage, Hammerstein was packed with a somewhat younger crowd than we’ve seen in years gone by. Now, this band is confusingly not a death metal band. They’re not even metal. What the are is absolute crap. I don’t know how these washed up blues rock fags got the opening slot for a band as big as the Strokes, but hopefully it involved the cute drummer chick performing special favors for Albert Hammond Jr.’s afro backstage before the show. Considering that in the past I’ve seen bands like the White Stripes and Kings of Leon supporting the Stroksies, it was a big let down to be confronted by a bunch of rejects from Electric Six to get me pumped up. Not surprisingly, it was a huge relief when Eagles’ set ended, and an even huger relief when the 30-40 minute wait in between bands came to an end.

The most noticible change in the Strokes’ live show is probably related to the fact that Julian doesn’t performe smashed out of his mind anymore. The band was much tighter than in previous years, and they remained so for a considerably longer set than we were used to. Although songs from all three full lengths were played, the younglings in the audience seemed to get the most fired up for the new tracks. I guess this isn’t surprising, since in their minds First Impressions is probably the Strokes’ Sergeant Pepper’s, but for us quarter-lifers it felt kinda strange.

All in all the show was tight and cool to watch, but it just seemed like something was missing. Maybe it was the fact that guitarist Valensi looks like a woman with his ridiculously long and flowing hair, or the fact that you just knew Drew Barrymore was watching from somewhere in the upper tiers. Most likely however, the newly found sobriety has taken away that slightly-sloppy, but super energetic edge we came to love from the original Strokes. In any event, if you’re a fan it’s probably still worth checking the guys out when they come to your town (not like you could still get tickets). Just don’t expect the party you might be used to.

Bye now

Dankster Rating: 7/10