The Strokes Fulfill “Lifelong Dream of Opening for Justin Bieber” During Coachella Return

The Strokes returned to Coachella on Saturday, April 11th, playing a 15-song set mostly filled with early hits. Marking their first time at the festival in 15 years, the performance was just as notable for singer Julian Casablancas’ signature banter as the band’s tight onstage chemistry after all these years.

On a lighthearted note, Casablancas joked of “fulfilling our lifelong dream” of opening for Justin Bieber (“I’m here for [him], too”) and lamented not being able to see PinkPantheress because they were playing the same time as her (“They fucked us!”).

Casablancas also made pointed commentary by wearing a “Crime” t-shirt with the Amazon Prime logo and speaking out against the Trump administration’s move toward an automatic military draft registration for men ages 18 to 25.

“You guys excited about the draft? Oh, wait, not the NFL draft,” he said. “In six months, I think everyone who’s eligible for the military has to register. You guys excited? Well, I hope to lead one of the Coachella units. The sexiest unit in our proud military, I’m sure.”

Banter aside, the set was heavy on songs from The Strokes’ first two albums, Is This It and Room on Fire, which they played alongside a handful of tracks from First Impressions of Earth and 2020’s The New Abnormal. 

After kicking off with “Bad Decisions,” they threw it back to their debut single, “Hard to Explain,” mixing in more recent tracks like “Selfless” and the brand new “Going Shopping” alongside early cuts like “Someday,” “Last Nite,” “Reptilia,” and “Under Control.”

During the lead-up to Coachella, The Strokes announced their upcoming album, Reality Awaits. They also mailed “Going Shopping” to fans via cassette and debuted it during a San Francisco underplay show before dropping it on DSPs.

Read our full 2026 Coachella coverage here.

The Strokes have several upcoming festival appearances outside of Coachella, with shows planned for Just Like Heaven on August 22nd, Outside Lands from August 7th through 9th, Shaky Knees on August 18th. Grab your passes here.

Nikolai dropping a "we fulfilled our lifelong dream of opening for Justin Bieber" at the end of The Strokes' set at Coachella. Dead crowd, everyone just waiting for Bieber. Who was the idiot that made this schedule? lmao Jules was pissed the whole show pic.twitter.com/EgGJYVqRDN

— Zaf (@Buenozaf) April 12, 2026

"Eu sei por que vocês estão aqui. Eu acordei hoje de manhã em um hotel aqui perto, e tinha um cara sarado, sem camisa, e ele estava do lado de fora do meu quarto gritando: “JUSTIN BIEBEEEEER!” Eu estou aqui pelo Bieber também, honestamente. Eles nem me pagaram; disseram que eu… pic.twitter.com/VEmPBUuJZV

— Julian Casablancas Brasil (@casablancasfcbr) April 12, 2026

Julian Casablancas at Coachella: "You guys excited about the draft? Oh, wait, not the NFL draft. In six months, I think, [everyone who's eligible], is gonna have to register for the military. Are you guys excited?" pic.twitter.com/0c0tDjjo17

— Eser (@WrittenByES) April 12, 2026

o julian ta com uma camiseta com o logo da amazon escrito “crime” ao inves de prime
aquele amigo criativo nos protestos pic.twitter.com/PRkHBLP9Tp

— daviiii (@steImas) April 12, 2026

Setlist:
Bad Decisions
Hard to Explain
Selfless
Someday
Going Shopping
Juicebox
Last Nite
Under Control
You Only Live Once
The Adults Are Talking
New York City Cops
Reptilia
Automatic Stop
Take It Or Leave It
What Ever Happened?