The Strokes delivered a setlist heavy on surprises during their Bonnaroo performance, mixing deep cuts with fresh material in a show that balanced nostalgia against new creative directions. The New York art-rock band opened with "Killing Lies," a track absent from their live rotation for four years, immediately signaling an evening focused on rarities and reinvention rather than a greatest-hits cruise.
The performance's centerpiece came with the first full live performance of "Falling out of Love," their new single that hints at where the band heads next. After nearly two decades as indie rock fixtures and occasional festival draws, The Strokes remain committed to keeping audiences off-balance, rotating their catalog in ways that reward devoted fans while testing casual listeners.
Between songs, the band worked in Kanye West references and jokes that landed somewhere between self-aware humor and genuine rock-and-roll attitude. That brand of deflating irreverence has long characterized The Strokes' public persona since their breakthrough with "Is This It" in 2001. They've never taken themselves too seriously, even as critics and peers have treated them as architects of 2000s rock revival.
The Bonnaroo set reflects a band still engaged with their work rather than coasting on "Last Nite" and "Someday" forever. Whether "Falling out of Love" signals a return to full-scale album ambitions or represents a more scattered, occasional release strategy remains unclear. What's certain is that The Strokes still command enough cache and creative restlessness to make their festival appearances feel like actual events rather than contractual obligations. For a band that could easily phone in arena appearances, pulling out decade-old deep cuts and treating new material as genuine moments of discovery suggests they remain interested in keeping their own catalog surprising.