The Strokes End Coachella Weekend Set With Fiery Political Video

The Strokes have now played both weekends of Coachella 2026, and whereas their April 11th set saw them making jokes about Jeff Bezos and being billed second to Justin Bieber, last night’s appearance (also ahead of Bieber) had a far more serious tone. Specifically, the band closed their set by projecting a video montage that criticized the U.S. government for multiple assassinations and its involvement in Gaza and Iran.

What Did The Strokes Show During Coachella’s Second Weekend?

Per setlist.fm, the Strokes closed their 14-song set by playing “Oblivius” (from 2016’s Future Present Past EP) for the first time since its release year. Given the the song is inherently political (so much so that it couldn’t become a music video), it’s not surprising that they used it as the backdrop for what they displayed.

According to Consequence, the track was paired with “a video montage display[ing] images of leaders purportedly targeted by the CIA.” The people shown included "Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh, Congolese Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba, Bolivian President Juan José Torres, Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos, Guatemalan President Jacobo Árbenz, Chilean President Salvador Allende, and Ecuadorian President Jaime Roldós.”

Consequence added that the video “also stated the US government was ‘found guilty’ of Martin Luther King Jr.’s murder in a civil trial, a reference to 1999’s King family v. Loyd Jowers in which a jury found restaurant owner Loyd Jowers and ‘others, including government agencies,’ liable for King’s assassination.”

Finally, Consequence claimed, the collage “ended with a message claiming that more than 30 universities in Iran have been destroyed during America’s war with Iran, followed by a final image of ‘the last university standing in Gaza’ being blown up in a military strike.”

After the montage was finished, NME noted, “the screen then faded to black, and the band walked off stage.” Some people and outlets – such as the Los Angeles Times – speculated that the sudden ending was unplanned and that the Strokes’ “background visuals appear[ed] to get cut” during “Oblivius.”

It’s worth mentioning, too, that – per Rolling Stone – Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas did make a political statement during group’s April 11th Coachella show by addressing the upcoming automatic registration for the military draft. “You guys excited about the draft? Oh wait — not the NFL draft,” he stated (via Rolling Stone). “In six months, I think everyone who’s eligible is gonna have to register for the military. I hope to lead one of the Coachella units. The sexiest unit in our proud military, I’m sure.”

You can see fan-filmed clips of the aforementioned April 18th video montage below:

Reactions to Their Video

As you can see from one of the posts above, some people are simultaneously proud of the Strokes and worried/confident that they won’t be invited back to Coachella. In general, responses are as divided and contentious as you’d probably expect, with some people championing the band, others chastising them, and plenty of people landing somewhere in the middle.

You can see some reactions below:

How Do Their Two Coachella 2026 Setlists Compare?

Moving onto the two Strokes setlists themselves, both included “Hard to Explain,” “You Only Live Once,” “The Adults Are Talking,” “Bad Decisions” and “Selfless.” However, their April 18th performance also included "Life Is Simple in the Moonlight," "Ode to the Mets" and closer "Oblivius"; in contrast, their April 11th set was the only one to include "Automatic Stop," "Last Nite," "Under Control" and "New York City Cops."

So, their time during the first weekend of Coachella 2026 focused a bit more on earlier material.

You can see the Strokes’ entire April 18th Coachella setlist below:

The Strokes Second Coachella Weekend Setlist (April 18, 2026)

“Hard to Explain”
“You Only Live Once”
“The Adults Are Talking”
“Someday”
"Going Shopping”
“Juicebox”
“Life Is Simple in the Moonlight”
“Bad Decisions”
“What Ever Happened?”
“Selfless”
“Take It or Leave It”
“Reptilia”
“Ode to the Mets”
"Oblivius” (first time live since 2016)

via setlist.fm

Other Strokes News

The Strokes are set to release their seventh studio LP – Reality Awaits – on June 26 via RCA Records and Cult Records. It’ll follow 2020’s The New Abnormal, and expectedly, their gearing up for an expansive tour in support of it.

The tour will run from mid-June to the end of October (off and on) and stretch across Ireland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and North America. Along the way, they’ll be supported by Cage the Elephant, Hamilton Leithauser (of The Walkmen), Fat White Family, Alex Cameron, ÖLÜM and/or Thundercat.

You can see the full list of upcoming dates and grab tickets here.

What do you think of how The Strokes closed their second Coachella 2026 weekend set? Let us know!