After a six month absence of headlining shows in their native United States, The Strokes embarked on a mini-tour with the White Stripes for four days of music in Detroit and New York City. Playing co-headlining sets for two consecutive nights in each band's hometown, The Strokes and the White Stripes created much havoc amongst longtime fans and newcomers who scrambled for the precious tickets. On August 14 the bands played Irving Plaza and on August 15 they played the legendary Radio City Music Hall, both in New York City.Although both shows sold out within minutes of the public sale, the audience at the two shows were significantly different. For Wednesday night's show at Irving Plaza, the 1,100 capacity crowd crammed into the small club venue on a hot, steamy evening. The entire balcony was closed for VIP only. The White Stripes, comprised of guitarist/keyboardist Jack White and drummer Meg White played an hour long set consisting mostly of songs from their first two albums.

The set included personal favorite "We're Going To Be Friends" off their new album "White Blood Cells" and the Dolly Parton cover, "Jolene." Dressed in their peppermint candy-motif of red and white, the two Whites, in jovial moods, seamlessly played song after song of blues-inspired garage-rock. Much to the surprise of the audience, the Stripes did not play their radio hit "Fell In Love With A Girl," a gutsy move that seemed to suggest the band either relied heavily on a strict fan base at the show or the success of the song was an annoyance to this commercially shy band.

The Strokes took the stage shortly after the Stripes, with lead singer Julian Casablancas wobbling onstage on crutches. Casablancas had injured his knees several weeks before, causing the Strokes to pull out of their opening gig for Weezer. Despite the ailment, Casablancas explained to the audience that it had been a dream of the band to play Irving Plaza, and the show would go on, even if he had to sit through the evening. Indeed, for the rest of the night, Casablancas, as he did for the earlier Detroit shows, perched on a stool in front of his microphone, moving between songs to reach for his beer or cigarettes.

The band played a blasting set of nearly every song off platinum debut album, "Is This It," excluding "When It Started." In its place was "New York City Cops," a track that was pulled from the album immediately after the World Trade Center tragedy because it contains offensive lyrics about New York City police. In the recovering atmosphere of the city, the audience gladly welcomed the banned track which includes blistering guitar solos from guitarist Nick Valensi. The group also played four new songs, the two better ones being "You Talk Way Too Much" and "Ze Newie." The latter, in particular, has an outstanding and catchy hook in tune with typical Strokes fashion. The chorus features Casablancas repeating "I never needed anybody / I never needed anybody / I never needed nobody" over and over again. The new songs run in the same musical vein as the highly popular tracks off "Is This It." Throughout the show, the audience remained highly energetic, as some audience members standing at the front proved with visible bruises and hoarse voices post-show.

The following night at Radio City was less brutal for the crowd. The 6,000 capacity seated venue with its grandeur and elegance lent an awkward setting for a night of New York garage music. Half of the crowd showed up in stilettos or polished shoes, while the other half came in ragged T-shirts and sneakers. The White Stripes took the stage first again, playing a slight variation of their Irving set. Jack White heartily thanked his tour-mates for the opportunity to play in the historical venue, and rewarded the packed and standing audience with a one-song encore. After the set, a murmur swept through the confused crowd who were clearly waiting for the radio hit, which was not delivered again. Still, many came away from the Stripes' set thoroughly impressed.

The Strokes began their set with new song "The Way It Is," and played the same tracks as the previous night, though in a different order. The band managed to keep the attention span of everyone from the hardcore fans to the society girls who were there to be seen, though most of the crowd barely moved despite the set's bouncy energy.

Once again from his stool with a small table for beer and cigarettes next to it, Casablancas sang in his signature lazy monotone while his band members jammed behind him. Hypnotizing with either his guitar playing spasms or his Muppet-like hair wafting in the wind, guitarist Albert Hammond, Jr. outshone his fellow band members.

Casablancas marvelled about playing at the venue, in which he claimed he had never been, and then for the finale, the band invited Jack White onstage. White rushed on with his guitar and plugged in during the intro of a mind-blowing "New York City Cops," sharing guitar solos with Valensi. After the ender, the White Stripes joined the Strokes for a bow to the appreciative yet mellowed audience, hugging each other like triumphant heroes. Casablancas, leaning on Meg White for support, threw down one crutch and hobbled offstage. Indeed, the sold out shows were a triumph - for the musical underdogs that The Strokes and the Stripes have been for so long, for the return of New York rock and for the new age of young garage bands. At last, the downfall of the teen pop band.

Michael Twarog '03 contributed to this article.