Bernie Sanders and AOC praise The Strokes at NYC concert

Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made a surprise appearance to introduce The Strokes at their one-off concert in New York City on Friday. Ocasio-Cortez, Sanders and the band members are all natives of the city.

At the performance, which took place at Flushing Meadow Corona Park in Queens, AOC took the stage before the headlining band. She welcomed the crowd, asserting that "the greatest city in the world is now welcoming the greatest rock band of our generation", to cheers from the 40,000 strong crowd.

She then called Sanders onto the stage. "Well, I'm gonna sing a few songs", the 85-year-old joked. "No, you wouldn't want to hear that."

He continued by praising The Strokes for "standing up for economic justice, fighting racism, understanding that healthcare is a human right, and understanding that we have all got to get out to vote to stand up [to] authoritarianism and to win in November".

Mid-term elections will be held in the U.S. this year. Bernie Sanders is an independent senator known for his outspokenness on issues like healthcare and the wealth gap, considered a democratic socialist by political analysts.

After the introduction, the band walked onto the stage.

"Would you quit making out with Bernie Sanders? We got a show", joked lead singer Julian Casablancas before starting the first song of the set.

This is not the first collaboration between The Strokes, Sanders and AOC. They previously allied for Sanders' 2020 Get Out The Vote rally, which was part of Sanders' presidential campaign. The post-punk band played the headline show.

"We are honored to be associated with such a dedicated, diligent, & trustworthy patriot – and fellow native New Yorker", frontman Casablancas said of Sanders at the time. "As the only truly non-corporate candidate, Bernie Sanders represents our only chance to overthrow corporate power and help return America to democracy. This is why we support him".

The Strokes are currently on their Reality Awaits tour, following the release of their seventh album this July.