Opinions about seating at a concert (Strokes in Tampa Sept. 12)

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lighting/visuals is a big part of a concert experience these days

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For anyone who came to see The Strokes, the night was always going to be about the headliner. But before they took the stage, the crowd got a couple of things they probably weren’t expecting.


Think of it like going to dinner already knowing exactly what you’re going to order. You sit down, look at the menu, and there it is—the thing you came for. But before you get to it, you’re encouraged to try an appetizer. Maybe it’s goat cheese. You can see why people like it, appreciate what it adds to the meal, but it’s not necessarily something you’d order for yourself. At least, not yet.


That was pretty much the opening stretch of the night. Promiseland and Geordie Greep took the stage before The Strokes, each bringing a sound that was pretty far from what much of the crowd had come to hear. For some, they were an acquired taste. For others, they were exactly the appetizer they wanted. Having Black Midi frontman and musical maximalist Greep alongside longtime collaborator Johann “Promiseland” Rashid made for a particularly strange and eclectic pairing compared to the other acts featured throughout the tour, including Cage The Elephant, Thundercat, and Beach House.


Greep’s set was somewhere between impressive and completely foreign. His music pulls heavily from math rock, avant-prog, and jazz fusion, creating something that can feel almost intentionally overwhelming. To some in the crowd, it was what they described as “noise pollution.” For the fans who already knew his work—many of whom could be spotted wearing his signature chimp-on-bongos shirt—it was chaotic, strange and beautiful all at once.


His improvisation was probably the most interesting part of the set. Greep moved through each song with unpredictable energy, making it hard to look away from what he and his band were doing in real time. Even if you had no idea what you were watching, there was something pretty captivating about it.

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