With all the hype The Strokes have been receiving in the media
these days, including recently being named by Rolling Stone as
“the best young rock band on the planet,” it would be
easy to think their sold-out, Wednesday-night performance at the
Hollywood Palladium would have really been something special.
Unfortunately, The Strokes proved they can’t quite measure
up to these expectations.
The Strokes chose to split their performance time between
playing old favorites from their debut and premiering new songs
from their sophomore effort, “Room on Fire.” The new
material itself came across as very catchy and enjoyable, yet it
felt all too familiar. Perhaps The Strokes fear to alienate their
fan base or else simply can’t get enough of their patented
garage rock sound. Either way, “Room on Fire” treads
over the same ground as their debut, “Is This It,” from
the song themes of failed relationships to the band’s
trademark guitar riffs. While it satisfied the crowd at the
Palladium, it will garner them few, if any, new fans.
However, The Strokes demonstrated moments of brilliance,
especially with their slow, unusually melodic opener “Under
Control,” which marked a distinct departure from a typical
upbeat number like “Last Nite” or
“Someday.” Performances of “What Ever
Happened,” “Between Love and Hate” and even the
single “12:51″ followed suit.
Regrettably, The Strokes soon replaced thoughtful tunes with
restless angst, apparent in “Reptilia,” “You Talk
Way Too Much” and “The Way It Is.” This approach
was even evident in the arrangement of old songs such as
“Hard to Explain” and “Take It Or Leave
It.”
If The Strokes’ lack of musical growth had been the only
problem with their performance, it still would have been a highly
entertaining show. Unfortunately, problems with the venue existed
from the beginning.
Getting through security proved to be an extremely lengthy and
ridiculous process, with bouncers frisking each concert-goer at
least twice and then confiscating everything from breath mints to
pens.
The venue’s general admission seating policy also caused
several problems. Prior to The Strokes’ set, many
late-arriving fans attempted to move closer to the stage, despite
the fact no excess standing room existed. Several people were
trampled and forced to leave the main standing area before The
Strokes even stepped on stage.
The Strokes then kept fans waiting for almost a full hour after
the opening act, Kings of Leon. This wait was completely
unnecessary and merely intensified the discomfort of being squashed
together for many fans.
Although The Strokes exhibited ample musical talent, their
nonchalant indifference towards their fans grew stale after the
first half-hour of the show. Lead singer Julian Casablancas’
drunken mumblings between songs were, for the most part, completely
unintelligible. He forgot several lyrics throughout the performance
and would often leave the microphone midway through a song. In
short, The Strokes’ stage presence was unremarkable.
Despite all these shortcomings, The Strokes still put on a good
performance, which was inarguably well-received by their fans.
Their music’s genius lies in its simplicity; however
simplicity can only be reinvented so many times. Perhaps the
evening’s biggest disappointment was that with that kind of
talent, The Strokes could have been even better.
-Natalie Tate