Overview
- The band said Thursday that founding guitarist Nick Valensi will take a temporary break from the scheduled tour and offered no reason or return date.
- Longwave frontman Steve Schiltz will fill in on guitar, a familiar collaborator from the groups’ early New York scene.
- The Strokes debuted new single “Falling Out of Love” on The Late Show that night without Valensi, performing with a laser-heavy stage setup.
- Reality Awaits is due June 26, with shows slated to begin at Bonnaroo on June 12 and continue across North America before Europe in October.
- Valensi missed multiple 2026 shows and returned for Coachella in April, so this new pause leaves festival plans like Outside Lands uncertain.