Culture
14 Jun 21

The Strokes reopen NYC with indoor gig alongside Blood Orange & John Mulaney

The Strokes at Electric Picnic 2019. Copyright Miguel Ruiz.

All Strokes fans were required to provide a negative coronavirus test to be permitted entry.

New York rockers The Strokes played the first full-capacity indoor concert in their native city since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Grammy Award-winning band's set was curated as a fundraiser for NYC progressive mayoral candidate Maya Wiley, and featured appearances by Dev Hynes of Blood Orange, comedian John Mulaney, and Democratic congressional representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

All proceeds from the gig going to support Wiley in her attempt to become the city’s first female mayor.

The Strokes played a 16-song set, including classics like 'Is This It' and 'Reptilia' - plus cuts from 2020’s The New Abnormal, which earned them their first Grammy for Best Rock Album. Blood Orange joined the rockers for 'One Way Trigger' from their 2013 effort Comedown Machine.

Wow. The Strokes bringing the electricity for #TeamMaya tonight. First full-capacity concert of this size in NYC since venues closed for the pandemic. @mayawiley pic.twitter.com/z7KOuCLeD0

— Make the Road Action 🦋 (@MaketheRoadAct) June 13, 2021

The Strokes previously supported Wiley with their first-ever unplugged concert on May 15th. Their latest fundraising venture occurred 10 days ahead of early voting, and took place at the newly-renovated Irving Plaza.

“Maya Wiley is the most grateful, gracious, and kind-hearted bad-ass I’ve ever witnessed,” frontman Julian Casablancas said in a statement prior to their May 15th show. “The more I know her, the more I know that she is absolutely the best choice to be NYC’s next mayor.

“This feels like a once in a lifetime opportunity to help elevate an incredible person to a position of power where they can protect the public — instead of the usual — managing their exploitation...”

He continued: “She is the only leading candidate without a PAC (political action committee), so it’s a privilege to use art to support a non-corporate candidate fighting against difficult odds. She is a benevolent warrior; at City Hall she got the cop who killed Eric Garner fired. We need to elect trustworthy people so when hard decisions need to be made behind closed doors, we know the people of NYC will be protected and in the best hands possible.”

In turn, Wiley said she was “so thankful to The Strokes for their support for my campaign and my vision for this city and for their commitment to making this event happen safely and successfully.”