‘SNL’ Musical Guest The Strokes Light up Social Media With ‘The Adults Are Talking’ Performance

The Strokes were finally able to take the SNL stage after initially scheduling an appearance in April when their album The New Abnormal was released. COVID-19 and the whirlwind summer left that performance on the back burner until Halloween, when safer standards were introduced to protect everybody.

John Mulaney was tapped to host the episode and pointed out the significance of the episode concerning New York City. “Three things define New York City: SNL, the Strokes, and Ed Koch. Koch is dead, so they got me,” Mulaney tweeted when the episode was announced. “I am so goddamn excited. 4th time up. Wow and wow and wow.”

NME called The Strokes newest album “a cool album you begrudgingly grow to love, even if it never cared about you,” before labeling it “quintessentially The Strokes.” The band performed on the show three times before, ranging back to 2001 after breaking through as a return of garage rock following the post-grunge era.

The band kicked off their fourth appearance with the first track off The New Abnormal titled “The Adults Are Talking.” It was no frills, no wild pageantry, just full on rock for the band, which is how fans like it.

Fans were excited about the performance despite the album already being released months ago. It was just a nice change of pace for many who wanted to relax amid the tense period most have experienced for months. Scroll down to see what the band’s fans had to say about the show.

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For many, seeing The Strokes on the show was a window to the past and a slice of normal life that hasn’t been around since one year ago. It’s also a nice diversion from the impending stress of election night.

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People tuned in from all over, even if it is shady in some aspects. But watching it live on NBC isn’t for everybody and you can’t hold people at fault for doing that.

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It was also a warning sign that some folks are desperate for nostalgia. That or it is a sign that everybody who loves The Strokes is getting old and time is a process that doesn’t shut down.

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Still, it was a fun performance and many fans wish it could’ve just been the entire show. You can shut your brain off and go with the flow.

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Others were quick to see the massive “OBEY” in the scene behind the band as they performed. This is potentially a reference to John Carpenter’s classic They Live starring WWE Hall of Famer Roddy Piper. It’s a fun slice of fiction that is far too realistic in current time.

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But yeah, it’s a welcome sight and treat for the ears to hear The Strokes. They do indeed sound like 2003 and a time when the biggest fears we faced were international terrorists, endless wars and the impending arrival of the KFC Famous Bowl.