You Only Live Once - The Strokes in NYC

Last night…., I was fortunate to get hooked up by a friend with tix to the first North American tour appearance for The Strokes, the band named best International Band at the Shockwaves NME Awards 2006 last month in London – Thank you Kris!. Wed night was the first of three shows at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City in support of their new album First Impressions of Earth. I’m not a concert or even music reviewer, however, for my personal tastes, I felt the energy of all their popular as well as new tracks come through strong, clear, and with the direct sensibility of their albums. Basically the show rocked!

Opening for the Strokes was The Eagles of Death Metal. The band features Carlo Von Sexron (Josh Homme from ‘Queens of the Stone Age’) on their last album: Peace, Love Death Metal. Their show was hardly death metal, but more or less just rock n roll which is what they proclaimed on stage. What I got out of the show was that Jesse “Boots Electric” Hughes loves the ladies and I was repeatedly told so, every other song…”I love the ladies!!!”, “Ladies make your way up front…”, “Damn I love em lady, Woo Hoo Rock n Roll and Ladies!!!”. Sorry guys, when I think of Death Metal, the first band I think of is Cannibal Corpse (MP3). BTW ol’ Boots is on MySpace (MyS Profile) and he definitely loves the ladies there too! (Picture – This Clip is about the hardest they rocked all set – btw sorry for the distortion on the clips but my camera is not the best device for recording concerts)

The Strokes show began with First Impressions’ opening track, “You Only Live Once.” and they tore through their popular and new catalog of tunes building up the crowds energy to a furious release with “Last Night”. The resting point of the set was the guitar free take on “Ask Me Anything” with Valensi, on keyboards, providing the sole accompaniment for Casablancas (Picture). I enjoyed the tribute rendition of The Ramones “Life is a Gas” (Clip). The Strokes closed their set with “Reptilia” before a short break to the encore.

Returning for their encore performance, which Kris points out they rarely do, The Strokes broke out the once apocryphal “New York City Cops”. Hardly flattering to the NYPD, the song was abruptly removed, with the band’s consent, from their 2001 debut in the aftermath of September 11th. It’s inclusion in the set provided the only slightly political bend on the show.

Gossip hounds were out and attending the show were some of NYC’s celebrities. Of course Drew Barrymore was there to support her man, Fabrizio Moretti. She was in the lower level VIP box with Lucy Liu (dancing like a mad woman I might add). I tried repeatedly to snap a pic for you and of course my friend Kris (here’s one for you buddy), however, this is the best I could do, and went back to enjoying what I came for. Apparently Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin were there as well, and at a Friday show, Mario Batali and Joaquin Phoenix were there… together – can you say odd couple?

First Clip of the Strokes

Here’s the set list in exact order from the show:
1. You only live once
2. The modern age
3. Hawaii Aloha
4. Juicebox
5. The End Has No End
6. 12:51
7. Heart in a Cage
8. Razorblade
9. Soma
10. I Can’t Win
11. Life Is A Gas (Ramones Cover – Clip)
12. Alone, Together
13. Last Nite
14. Hard To Explain
15. Ize of The World
16. Trying Your Luck
17. Barely Legal
18. Ask Me Anything
19. Vision of Division
20. Reptilia