The band's set included visuals of world leaders whose deaths have been allegedly linked to the CIA, such as Panama's Military Leader Omar Torrijos, former President of Guatemala Jacobo Árbenz, former President of Ecuador Jaime Roldós Aguilera, and Martin Luther King Jr. It also highlighted missile strikes in Gaza and noted that over 30 universities have been destroyed in Iran. According to Metro - Main, Julian Casablancas described being tempted to show Iran LEGO videos from a laptop but said they were taken down.
Many claimed the images were cut off by production, though why the screen cut to black abruptly remains unclear. Fan reactions on social media were mixed, with some praising the band's stance. Others suggested The Strokes risked being banned from Coachella due to their political content.
I was tempted to come out tonight with a laptop and show you guys some of those Iran LEGO videos. You guys see those? More facts than your local news. But they were taken down. YouTube or Government or whatever. Land of the free, am I right?
Whether The Strokes will face any consequences from Coachella is unknown, and the specific details or accuracy of the claims about universities destroyed in Iran and missile strikes in Gaza as presented in the set have not been verified. In other Coachella news, Justin Bieber is the highest-paid Coachella headliner ever, but he attracted criticism for bringing out a laptop and searching on YouTube to find his old music to sing along to during his set. This incident adds to broader context of political content at music festivals, following the BBC's omission of Kneecap's politically charged set from its Glastonbury 2025 coverage.