The Strokes Announce Nick Valensi Will Sit Out Upcoming Tour Dates
The Strokes will begin their upcoming Reality Awaits tour without founding guitarist Nick Valensi, with the band confirming he is stepping away temporarily from the scheduled run of shows.
The announcement came Thursday night after the band appeared on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, where fans quickly noticed Valensi was absent during the performance of “Falling Out of Love,” a track from the group’s upcoming album Reality Awaits. Shortly afterward, the band addressed the absence directly on social media, confirming that Valensi would be taking what they described as a temporary break from touring, while making clear they expect him to return. The band did not provide a reason for the break or indicate how long Valensi is expected to be away.
Filling in during his absence will be Steve Schiltz, a familiar figure in the New York rock scene and someone with existing ties to the band’s history. Schiltz is best known as the singer and guitarist for Longwave, one of the early-2000s bands that emerged from the same downtown New York indie rock era that helped define The Strokes’ rise. His involvement is not entirely new, either. Fans may already recognize him from recent live appearances with the group.
Schiltz previously stepped in for Valensi during a pair of San Francisco shows in April, held shortly before the band’s Coachella performances. At the time, the substitution appeared temporary, particularly since Valensi returned to perform with the band during their Coachella sets. The latest announcement, however, suggests a more extended absence, at least for the opening stretch of the tour.
The timing comes as The Strokes prepare for a major album cycle. Reality Awaits, the band’s first full-length release since 2020’s The New Abnormal, is scheduled for release on June 26 and marks their first studio album in six years. The record’s rollout has already included live television appearances and early performances as anticipation builds around the band’s long-awaited return.
Touring begins in earnest this summer, starting with the band’s June 12 performance at Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival before launching into the wider Reality Awaits tour. The band also has several high-profile festival appearances scheduled, including sets at Just Like Heaven in Pasadena, Shaky Knees Music Festival, and Sea.Hear.Now in Asbury Park, before heading to Europe for additional dates in October.
Valensi has been a core part of The Strokes since the band’s formation in 1998, helping shape the sharp, interlocking guitar sound that became central to albums like Is This It, Room on Fire, and First Impressions of Earth.
