The Strokes Return to Tampa for the Reality Awaits Tour
Updated: 14 hours ago
Jade Read
Editor-in-Chief
September 14, 2026
It was a busy night in Tampa last Saturday. Bruno Mars took over Raymond James Stadium, Sam Feldt brought the party to The Ritz Ybor, and across town, The Strokes returned to Benchmark International Arena for the southeastern run of their Reality Awaits tour.
For anyone who came to see The Strokes, the night was always going to be about the headliner. But before they took the stage, the crowd got a couple of things they probably weren’t expecting.
Think of it like going to dinner already knowing exactly what you’re going to order. You sit down, look at the menu, and there it is—the thing you came for. But before you get to it, you’re encouraged to try an appetizer. Maybe it’s goat cheese. You can see why people like it, appreciate what it adds to the meal, but it’s not necessarily something you’d order for yourself. At least, not yet.
That was pretty much the opening stretch of the night. Promiseland and Geordie Greep took the stage before The Strokes, each bringing a sound that was pretty far from what much of the crowd had come to hear. For some, they were an acquired taste. For others, they were exactly the appetizer they wanted. Having Black Midi frontman and musical maximalist Greep alongside longtime collaborator Johann “Promiseland” Rashid made for a particularly strange and eclectic pairing compared to the other acts featured throughout the tour, including Cage The Elephant, Thundercat, and Beach House.
Greep’s set was somewhere between impressive and completely foreign. His music pulls heavily from math rock, avant-prog, and jazz fusion, creating something that can feel almost intentionally overwhelming. To some in the crowd, it was what they described as “noise pollution.” For the fans who already knew his work—many of whom could be spotted wearing his signature chimp-on-bongos shirt—it was chaotic, strange and beautiful all at once.
His improvisation was probably the most interesting part of the set. Greep moved through each song with unpredictable energy, making it hard to look away from what he and his band were doing in real time. Even if you had no idea what you were watching, there was something pretty captivating about it.
Then, after an 11-year absence from the Big Guava, The Strokes finally took the stage.
Tampa marked the first stop of the southeastern run, following the band’s summer shows and kicking off the next stretch of their North American dates before eventually heading to Europe. After more than two decades of making music, there was plenty of anticipation in the arena.
As the opening notes and heavy bassline of “Lonely in the Future” hit, the crowd erupted. Julian Casablancas took a moment to share his appreciation for Tampa, joking that the city was somewhere he liked to visit—not to retire, but to party.
From there, the band worked its way through nearly every era of their career. The only exception was 2011’s Angles, which went untouched.
Rather than building the set around one particular album, The Strokes pulled from all over their catalog. Songs from The New Abnormal and Reality Awaits sat alongside some of their earliest material, giving the show a
little bit of everything.
That was especially clear when “Is This It” rang through Benchmark International Arena. The song was played for only the third time on this tour, making it a particularly special moment for longtime fans.
The original setlist called for “Tyrants of Mellow Moon” and “12:51,” but neither song ultimately made it into the stage. Instead, The Strokes returned for not one, but two encores.
Julian even acknowledged the unusual decision, telling the crowd, “We’re not much of a double encore band.”
The first encore brought “Bad Decisions,” giving the crowd one last chance to let loose before the night came to its emotional close. Then came “Ode to the Mets,” one of the most gut-wrenching songs in The Strokes’ catalog.
It was a fitting ending for a band that has spent more than two decades making music without leaving their past behind. The songs have changed, the audience has changed, and The Strokes themselves have changed, but the music still feels just as timeless as ever.
Tampa waited 11 years for The Strokes to return. When they did, they brought a little bit of everything with them.
Edited by: Stephanie Rodriguez
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