After a Six-Year Absence, The Strokes Play a Reality Awaits Show at Rogers Arena on August 27
The Strokes headline Vancouver's Rogers Arena on Thursday, August 27, 2026, one of only two Canadian dates on the band's Reality Awaits North America tour and their first Vancouver show since March 2020. The concert supports Reality Awaits, the Grammy-winning group's seventh studio album and their first new full-length since 2020's The New Abnormal.
Key details
- Date: Thursday, August 27, 2026, listed for 7:00 PM
- Artist: The Strokes, on the Reality Awaits North America tour
- Venue: Rogers Arena, 800 Griffiths Way, Vancouver
- Tickets: On sale through Ticketmaster
New York's revival kings, six years later
Few bands shaped modern rock the way The Strokes did. Their 2001 debut, Is This It, helped spark the garage-rock revival and reset the sound of the decade, and the band's lineup has stayed remarkably stable ever since, still led by frontman Julian Casablancas. Two decades on, they remain one of the defining rock acts of their generation.
The group's most recent album, 2020's The New Abnormal, won Best Rock Album at the 2021 Grammy Awards, the band's first Grammy. That record also began their partnership with producer Rick Rubin, who is back behind the boards for the new one.
Reality Awaits: a Rick Rubin reset
Reality Awaits is the band's seventh studio album and their first release since The New Abnormal. Rubin's less-is-more approach shapes the record, which the group has described as rawer and more direct than its predecessor, with more guitar and fewer synths. Lead single "Going Shopping" arrived in April 2026, rolled out with a nostalgic twist when the band mailed cassette copies to fans before the track reached streaming services. The album is due out in the summer of 2026.
The Reality Awaits North America tour runs through the summer, and the Vancouver stop is a rare one: it is one of only two Canadian dates on the entire run, following a June show in Toronto. From Rogers Arena the band heads down the coast for a Seattle date the next night, making Vancouver the only Western Canadian stop of the tour.
It is also a homecoming of sorts for local fans. The Strokes last played Vancouver at Rogers Arena in March 2020, just before the pandemic brought live music to a halt, so August 27 marks their first show in the city in more than six years.
Frequently asked questions
When do The Strokes play Vancouver?
Thursday, August 27, 2026 at Rogers Arena, with the show listed for 7:00 PM.
What is the Reality Awaits tour?
It is The Strokes' 2026 North American tour in support of their seventh studio album, Reality Awaits, their first since 2020's Grammy-winning The New Abnormal.
How can I get tickets to The Strokes at Rogers Arena?
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster and the venue box office. You can also find this show and every other upcoming concert on our Vancouver concert calendar.
Scene in the Dark has covered Vancouver's live-music scene since 2010, from intimate club gigs to arena headliners like this one.
