The Strokes stoke maniacal concert crowd
By Chad Pata
Special to The Advertiser
First rule at The Strokes concert, don't wear slippers. Your critic learned this lesson firsthand last night with a capacity crowd at Pipeline Cafe.
With fans packed in like townhouses in Hawai'i Kai, more than a dozen girls had to be lifted out of the crowd, and that was just during sound check.
Playing their first show in Hawai'i since February 2002, the darlings of the New York music scene showed what they had learned. Opening with "Reptilia" the crowd began surging and the previously coy frontman Julian Casablancas roared right back at them.
They kept the pedal down through crowd favorites "Automatic Stop" and "Modern Age," climaxing with "New York City Cops."
While the crowd and Casablancas were maniacal, the rest of the band looked like another day at the office.
Bassist Nikolai Fraiture moved only once during the whole show and that was to step forward for a 15-second solo before returning dutifully to his spot.
Guitarist Albert Hammonds Jr. had the look of a man who knew just how lucky he is to be playing his three-chord progressions to thousands of adoring attendees.
Midway through the hour-long set they slowed things down to let everyone catch their breath with a slowly paced "Under Control."
Drummer Fab Moretti would only let that go on so long as he pounded out the opening beats to "You Talk Way Too Much," causing Casablancas to get the hint and dedicate the song to himself.
The 60 minutes were not without mishaps. Midway through the singalong "Hard To Explain," Casablancas forgot the words and brought the song to a screeching halt.
The audience didn't hold it against him after he slurred an apology and then forgot where he had left the microphone.
He made up immediately for this with a turbo version of "Last Night," the second verse of which he sung with his face buried in the masses as security held him up by his belt.
Buoyed by the sweaty throng's energy, he lit a fresh cigarette while Hammonds and the other guitarist, Nick Valensi, began the electronic twangs of "The End Has No End," which is reminiscent of an old Cars tune.
They finished the set the same way they did last visit with "Take It or Leave It."
Slippers sailed onto the stage as the floor boiled with activity and Casablancas thanked everyone one more time.
A high-energy garage rock show was done, and it was great tip-toeing through the parking lot in my bare feet with all the sweat-drenched fans shouting to be heard over the ringing in their ears.
Reach Chad Pata at chadpata@mac.com.
