In the early 2000s, The White Stripes and The Strokes were two of the most dominant indie rock bands. Both bands’ popularity exploded right around the same time, reigning in a new era of rock revival. Fans of this era got a special treat on September 28, 2026, when The Strokes’ guitarist Nick Valensi walked out on stage at a Jack White concert in Los Angeles.
In May 2026, Nick Valensi stepped away from touring with The Strokes. There’s been a lot of fan theories evolving around this “temporary break”, with some claiming this is permanent. The Strokes’ frontman Julian Casablancas has previously hinted that he no longer speaks to his bandmate, and they’re no longer friends. Despite this, the band released a new single in April 2026, “Going Shopping”, ahead of their newest album. Just days after the band released their second single, “Falling Out Of Love”, Nick Valensi announced he was taking a temporary break from the group.
Since then, Casablanca and Valensi have both confirmed that this is only temporary, and he will be returning to the band at some point. The Strokes released their seventh studio album, Reality Awaits, on July 24, 2026. They’ve been supporting this album with fill-in guitarist Steve Schiltz. Now roughly six months out from this temporary break, one that the band made seem like a scheduling conflict, Valensi has yet to return to the group.
Instead, He’s Surprising Jack White Fans
On Monday, September 28, 2026, Valensi joined Jack White on stage at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. With White and his band, Valensi joined on “Broken Boy Soldier”, a 2006 song and album from one of White’s bands, The Raconteurs. Additionally, he joined in on Jack White’s live debut of “Bless Yourself” from his 2024 album, No Name. In the last two years, White has noticeably left the song out of setlists due to its difficulty.
This isn’t the first crossover between The White Stripes and The Strokes. In August 2002, Jack White joined The Strokes on stage twice. Once at Radio City Music Hall in New York City and again at the Reading Festival, performing The Strokes’ song “New York City Cops”. In November 2019, Julian Casablancas joined Jack White’s band The Raconteurs on stage to perform “The Modern Age”. Though The Strokes remain active, despite Valensi’s hiatus, The White Stripes called it quits in 2011. Since then, Jack White has embarked on a massively successful solo career while occasionally reviving his side projects.
Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Coachella
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