Feb 16

Feb 16 The Strokes got a city to love, and it's Berlin on St. Valentine's day

The announcement that came just 10 days ahead of the show lead to hysteria among the fans. The lucky ones who were able to get tickets for this treat on St. Valentine’s day were visibly excited.

The Strokes are starting their intimate European tour at Berlin’s Columbiahalle. A venue they also played eighteen years ago, and it’s the New Yorkers' first appearance in Berlin in 14 years. Was the show great? Naturally.

Casablancas buries his head in his hands, he also lies down, he slams the microphone stand, he makes the victory sign with his hands, but looks at the floor. People are screaming and stretching out their hands towards Julian, as if they needed his help right away. The hype knows no limits. British music magazines put The Strokes on their covers before anyone had even heard any of their songs. Since 2001, when The Strokes released their debut "Is This It", not much has changed for their fans. The Strokes are still big and going full force.

The Strokes have 5 albums under their belt. The latest "Comedown Machine" came out in 2013. On their previous releases the band combined many different influences mixing retro and futuristic tunes, making their guitars sound like arcade laser beams. The new songs from their upcoming album "The New Abnormal" make it clear that the band loves this direction. Bad Decisions, which was performed in Berlin, should make Billy Idol happy. Seems like it’s inspired by Dancing With Myself, and according to Wikipedia Idol is listed as a co-songwriter for the Strokes song.

The other new song of the evening was The Adults Are Talking. The song flies through the hall like a colorful, wafer-thin sailing ship, and it floats in its calm before the storm of New York City Cops and The Modern Age. At the end of the concert, Casablancas marches into the crowd from the left, then from the right and finally from the front. "Seriously, I want you to beat the shit out of me!" Of course nobody does. Julian, who continues to sing Last Nite, is cheered and caressed by people, remaining to be the one who saved Rock’n’Roll. Later Casablancas took a moment to thank Gordon Raphael for producing the first 2 records of The Strokes. The acknowledgement of an old friend (who also attended the show in Berlin) was a sweet moment met with applause and cheering.

The show ended with a three-song encore, the band playing Juicebox, What Ever Happened? and Someday. The new album The New Abnormal is out on April 10th via Cult and RCA. It is the Strokes' first album in seven years and it was recorded by Rick Rubin (Beastie Boys, Johnny Cash, Kanye West). The band chose Jean-Michel Basquiat's “Bird on Money” from 1981 as album cover artwork. The first 2 singles At The Door and Bad Decisions are out now.