Watch The Strokes rock Coachella 2026 as Julian Casablancas makes subtle dig at Jeff Bezos

    The Strokes have returned to Coachella after a 15-year absence, with Julian Casablancas making a subtle dig at Jeff Bezos – check out footage below.

    • READ MORE: The Strokes’ delicate, sun-kissed comeback single ‘Going Shopping’ is an item you’d try on but wouldn’t buy

    The NYC indie heroes are preparing to release their Rick Rubin-produced seventh studio album ‘Reality Awaits’ in June (pre-order here) and have already shared the lead single ‘Going Shopping’.

    On Saturday night (April 11), they took to the festival’s main stage, ahead of headliner Justin Bieber, in their first appearance at the California festival since their own time topping the bill in 2011.

    Frontman Casablancas made a wry dig at Bezos by sporting a t-shirt on stage that mimicked the Amazon logo, but with the word “crime” pasted in place of the company’s name. He also quipped with the crowd that he was “here for Bieber too”, saying he was not being paid for the show, but was instead offered to “stand off to the side of the stage” to watch his set.

    The Bezos jab wasn’t the only political comment from Casablancas – he also made reference to the news that the US government plans to automatically register men aged 18-25 as eligible for a military draft, as opposed to the current model of self-registration.

    “You guys excited about the draft?” he said. “Oh wait no, not the NFL draft, I’m talking about in six months, I think everyone’s going to have to register who’s eligible for the military. You guys excited?!”

    “Well, I hope to lead one of the Coachella units, the sexiest unit in our proud military, I’m sure,” he added. “What in the 2026 is going on.”

    ‘Going Shopping’ was included in a setlist that otherwise saw the band reach into their back catalogue, with ‘Is This It’ and ‘Room On Fire’ both featuring heavily. Check out footage from their performance here: